New York, Oct. 13 - Domino's Pizza Inc reported higher-than-expected quarterly earnings Tuesday, mainly boosted by lower interest expense.
Domino's, which competes with YUM! Brands Inc's Pizza Hut and Papa John's International Inc, said net income rose to $17.8 million, or 31 cents a share, in the third quarter ended Sept 6 from $10.1 million, or 17 cents a share, a year earlier.
Excluding a $14.3 million pretax gain from retiring debt, profit was 17 cents a share, topping the analysts' average estimate of 15 cents, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Revenue fell 6.5 percent to $302.7 million. Same-restaurant sales, a key indicator of performance, were flat in the United States and up 2.7 percent internationally.
The Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company now appears to be outperforming rival Pizza Hut in the United States. Pizza Hut, which is seen as a more expensive option than Domino's, recently reported a 13 percent decline in U.S. sales at established restaurants for the third quarter.
Domino's shares were up 2.5 percent at $9.60 in trading before the market opened.