Barclays just hosted its 2017 Eat, Sleep, Play Conference, focusing in on a number of restaurant players. Jeffrey Bernstein, Senior Restaurant Analyst at Barclays was with us to discuss the biggest takeaways from the event.
Despite believing that Shake Shack is head of the class in the better-burger category, Bernstein is maintaining his "Equal Weight" rating for the stock. The analyst points to the fact its shares trade at much higher valuations than its peers. However, he says this is mostly justified because of the rate Shake Shack is opening up stores and growing revenue.
Bernstein also touches on Domino's Pizza and how the chain stacks up against Papa John's and Pizza Hut. Recently, Papa John's said sales were impacted by the kneeling in the NFL. Bernstein says Domino’s was not willing to make a comment like that. He adds Domino's is still bullish on advertising in big sports events because it is still generating a return for them. They are, however, starting to do a lot more online marketing, says Bernstein.
Ahead of the release of October's consumer inflation data Tuesday, you may notice changes from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. When it comes to how it estimates health insurance costs, the move is expected to give a boost to the U.S. inflation measure which will reverse a trend that has provided some relief.
A handful of retailers will report earnings this week, including Home Depot, Target, Walmart and Macy's, as gas prices peaked in September to the end of this latest quarter while borrowing costs remain at their highest levels in decades.
