Panera Bread earnings rise to $54 million

MarketWatch.com - MarketPulse SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Panera Bread Co. on Tuesday reported a fiscal fourth-quarter profit of $54 million, or $1.96 a share, on $662 million in sales. The results included a benefit of 13 cents a share due to the company having an additional week of operation during the quarter. In the year-ago period, Panera earned $52 million, or $1.75 a share, on revenue of $571.5 million. Analysts surveyed by FactSet had forecast the restaurant chain to earn $1.94 a share on $660 million revenue for quarter ended December 31. 2013. For its first quarter, Panera estimates it will earn between $1.49 and $1.55 a share, while analysts had previously forecast the company to earn $1.70 a share. Panera s shares slipped by 1.3% in after-hours trading.Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.