Jack In The Box Inc

Shares of Jack in the Box Inc., the owner of the namesake restaurant chain and Qdoba Mexican Grill, fell the most in almost two years after the company's fourth-quarter profit forecast trailed analysts' estimates. The shares dropped $6.56, or 10%, to $59.21. They have gained 36% in the last 12 months. The San Diego-based restaurant chain forecast fourth-quarter profit of 72 cents to 76 cents a share, below the 80-cent estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

Jack has risen, hallelujah. After being hit by a bus in a Super Bowl TV/Web commercial Feb. 1, Jack -- the grand-tete CEO-mascot of Jack in the Box -- emerged from his coma March 4, newly inspired. At Jack's direction, the San Diego-based restaurant chain will undertake a brand makeover this spring, including a new logo (Duffy & Partners, Minneapolis), redesigned store environments and a new corporate website that launched Monday. Jack, I feel obliged to point out, is a fictional character.

Four months after unveiling plans to become a national chain, San Diego-based Jack in the Box Inc. on Tuesday announced its entree into the rapidly growing fast-casual restaurant category by acquiring the parent of the Qdoba Mexican Grill. Jack in the Box, the nation's fourth-largest-selling hamburger chain, paid $45 million to acquire Denver-based Qdoba Restaurant Corp. from ACI Capital Co. and Western Growth Capital, both New York-based, and other private investors.

Jack in the Box Inc. shares fell by the largest amount in more than two years after the San Diego company said 2008 sales would trail its previous forecast. The shares dropped $2.90, or 10%, to $24.87 after the restaurateur said same-store sales at its namesake Jack in the Box chain would be unchanged for the year. In February, the company forecast sales gains of 2% to 3%. Same-store revenue will increase by as much as 3% at its Qdoba chain of Mexican restaurants, the company said.

Jack in the Box Inc. fiscal third-quarter earnings will be slightly lower than expected due to rising utility costs and a tropical storm that recently struck southeastern Texas. The San Diego-based fast food chain said it expects earnings per diluted share in the range of 53 cents to 55 cents for the quarter, including a tax rate adjustment benefit of about 3 cents, Chief Executive Robert Nugent said. The company said in May it expected third-quarter earnings of 54 cents to 58 cents.

Jack in the Box Inc., the operator of its namesake restaurants and Qdoba Mexican Grill, said fiscal second-quarter earnings climbed 25%. The company boosted its profit forecast, sending the shares up 3.3%. Net income for the period ended April 15 rose to $27.2 million, or 80 cents a share, from $21.8 million, or 61 cents, a year earlier. Sales increased 6.8% to $660.7 million, the San Diego-based company said. The company expects annual per-share profit of as much as $3.50, up from $3.27 to $3.

Hamburger chain Jack in the Box Inc. posted a better-than-expected 16% gain in quarterly profit and raised its earnings forecast for the year because of a drop in food and worker's compensation costs, as well as a lower tax rate. The San Diego-based company's shares rose as much as 9% after the announcement to a 2 1/2 -month high. The stock closed at $43.44, up $2.88. Net income for its fiscal third quarter ended July 9 rose to $27.8 million, or 77 cents a share, from $23.

* Alcoa Inc., the world's largest aluminum producer, said it will close plants in North Carolina and Oregon and cut production at a facility in Texas because of high energy costs and sagging aluminum prices. The moves will cut 377 jobs. * Loral Space & Communications Ltd. said its second-quarter loss narrowed to $63.5 million, or 18 cents a share, from $95.4 million, or 29 cents, a year earlier. Sales increased 15% to $316.3 million. * Jack in the Box Inc.'s third-quarter profit rose 15% to $24.

Jack in the Box Inc. said profit in the fiscal third and fourth quarters will exceed expectations as the fast-food chain converts five company sites to franchised units and spends less on food and packaging. The San Diego-based company also said sales will get a boost in the second half of the year from the introduction of a sandwich and increased advertising on lower-price items, the company said.

Sizzler International Inc., the Culver City-based operator and franchiser of Sizzler, KFC and Oscar's restaurants, said Thomas Metzger, president and chief executive of its Sizzler USA subsidiary, resigned. Metzger left the company after his father's death. Sizzler International President and Chief Executive Charles Boppel will assume Metzger's duties until a replacement is found. * Jack in the Box Inc. said longtime Chief Financial Officer Charles W. Duddles will retire from the company.

Shares of Jack in the Box Inc., the owner of the namesake restaurant chain and Qdoba Mexican Grill, fell the most in almost two years after the company's fourth-quarter profit forecast trailed analysts' estimates. The shares dropped $6.56, or 10%, to $59.21. They have gained 36% in the last 12 months. The San Diego-based restaurant chain forecast fourth-quarter profit of 72 cents to 76 cents a share, below the 80-cent estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

Fast-food chain Jack in the Box Inc. can continue to air TV ads that make a rival restaurant the butt of its jokes, a federal judge ruled Monday. U.S. District Judge Andrew Guilford said he wanted to see more evidence of actual harm before barring the cheeky ads that suggest that rival company CKE Restaurants Inc., which operates Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, uses cow anuses to make its Angus beef hamburgers.

Carl's Jr. doesn't like being the butt of Jack's jokes. So CKE Restaurants Inc., which owns Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, sued Jack in the Box Inc. in federal court in Santa Ana on Friday, accusing the San Diego-based chain of deceptive advertising relating to the business end of a cow. The suit cites TV ads that tout Jack in the Box's sirloin burgers and lampoon those made with Angus beef, which happens to be what's in the Carl's Jr.

Jack in the Box Inc., the operator of its namesake restaurants and Qdoba Mexican Grill, said fiscal second-quarter earnings climbed 25%. The company boosted its profit forecast, sending the shares up 3.3%. Net income for the period ended April 15 rose to $27.2 million, or 80 cents a share, from $21.8 million, or 61 cents, a year earlier. Sales increased 6.8% to $660.7 million, the San Diego-based company said. The company expects annual per-share profit of as much as $3.50, up from $3.27 to $3.

Jack in the Box Inc., the operator of its namesake restaurants and Qdoba Mexican Grill, said Wednesday that first-quarter earnings jumped 48% as it added menu items and costs fell. Profit beat some analysts' estimates, sending the shares up 10% to a record. Net income rose 48% to $37.4 million, or $1.03 a share, from $25.2 million, or 70 cents, a year earlier. Sales rose 5.4% to $856.7 million, the San Diego-based company said.

Hamburger chain Jack in the Box Inc. posted higher-than-expected quarterly profit Tuesday and said it would purchase as much as 15.5% of its stock in a tender offer. Lower costs for labor and most foods, including beef, and proceeds from the sale of restaurants in Hawaii helped lift earnings, the San Diego-based company said. Profit rose to $33.2 million, or 92 cents a share, in the fiscal fourth quarter ended Oct. 1, from $21.5 million, or 59 cents, a year earlier.

Foodmaker Inc., the San Diego-based operator and franchiser of the fast-food chain of Jack in the Box restaurants, said it will change its name to Jack in the Box Inc., as of Oct. 4. Its stock symbol on the New York Stock Exchange will change to JBX from FM. The changes will coincide with a planned expansion into the Southeast U.S. The company has rebounded after weathering an outbreak of deadly illnesses caused by E. coli contamination six years ago. Its shares have risen 78% in the last year.

Restaurant operator Jack in the Box Inc. reported Wednesday that net income for its fiscal first quarter fell 26%, but profit from continuing operations beat Wall Street estimates, boosted by new products and better industry trends, sending its shares up 6%. Including a charge related to debt refinancing, net income was $15.6 million, or 43 cents a share, down from $21.2 million, or 56 cents, a year earlier. For the quarter ended Jan.

Hamburger chain Jack in the Box Inc. posted a better-than-expected 16% gain in quarterly profit and raised its earnings forecast for the year because of a drop in food and worker's compensation costs, as well as a lower tax rate. The San Diego-based company's shares rose as much as 9% after the announcement to a 2 1/2 -month high. The stock closed at $43.44, up $2.88. Net income for its fiscal third quarter ended July 9 rose to $27.8 million, or 77 cents a share, from $23.

Restaurant chains Jack in the Box Inc. and IHOP Corp. reported earnings Wednesday that beat analysts' estimates. But although investors cheered the Jack in the Box results, sending its shares up more than 11%, they were less enthusiastic about IHOP. Jack in the Box said fiscal first-quarter net income dropped 0.8% to $25.2 million, or 70 cents a share, from $25.4 million, or 68 cents, a year earlier.