iShares US Consumer Services

Why higher gasoline prices can reduce people’s leftover spending at restaurants, which will negatively affect restaurant sales.

Wall Street analysts set a price target of $125.1 for the next 12 months with a return potential of 5% from the closing price of $119.2 on January 25.

Dunkin’ Brands, the owner of the Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins brands, is scheduled to announce its 2Q17 earnings before the market opens on July 27, 2017.

Starbucks (SBUX) is scheduled to announce its fiscal 3Q17 earnings after the market closes on July 27, 2017. Starbucks’ fiscal 3Q17 extends from April 3, 2017.

Starbucks’s (SBUX) share price has been soaring since it announced its fiscal 4Q16 results on November 3, 2016. Let’s explore why.

In this series, we uncover the key indicators investors should know to help them stay calm and position themselves correctly in the restaurant market. Investing is an art and a science. There is no secret formula.

Six Flags Entertainment Corp. (SIX) is the world’s largest regional theme park company with $1.1 billion in revenue and 18 parks across North America.

Six Flags derived 55% of its revenues from theme park admissions for the last 12 months ended September 30, 2014.

Industry debt-to-equity ratio is about 5.5. Six Flags’ debt-to-equity ratio of 4.0 shows the company aggressively finances operations with debt capital.

Six Flags’ share price on May 10, 2010, reflects $7.36 per share, the price of new common stock upon the company’s emergence from bankruptcy.

January’s JOLTS (Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey) data, which contains information about job openings and total separations, was reported on March 16.

In this series, we’ll look at analysts’ earnings and revenue estimates for the next four quarters. We’ll also review Wendy’s valuation and analysts’ recommendations.

After reaching a lifetime high in October 2017, the ISM (Institute of Supply Management) non-manufacturing index fell 2.7 percentage points to 57.4%.

For October, service sector activity rose at a pace not seen since the inception of the report. The non-manufacturing index reached a lifetime high of 60.1.

Macao’s casinos are trying to change Macao from a gaming-only destination to more of a Las Vegas–like destination.

Despite the strong growth in employment numbers, the Fed’s latest monetary policy report had some comments about slow wage growth.

As of May 24, 2017, McDonald’s was trading at a PE multiple of 22.6x—compared to 21.3x before the announcement of its 1Q17 earnings.

For the next four quarters, analysts are expecting Starbucks to post EPS growth of 12.8%.

As of April 19, 2017, McDonald’s was trading at a PE multiple of 21.1x, as compared to 19.9x before the announcement of its 4Q16 earnings.

Earlier this month, the Priceline Group (PCLN) signed a deal to acquire Momondo Group. Priceline will acquire all outstanding shares of Momondo for $550 million in an all-cash deal.

From 2012 to 2014, Priceline Group’s (PCLN) gross bookings grew at an average of 30%. For 2015, accounting for the strong US dollar, growth was just 10%.

Fiscal policy has turned more expansionary, with stress on fiscal spending and monetary easing, thereby flooding the financial markets worldwide with huge liquidity.

Labor productivity is an important tool to measure the strength of a country’s economy. Policymakers often use this indicator to compare output efficiency during a particular period.

Dunkin’ Brands (DNKN) earns its revenue from five different channels: Dunkin’ Donuts US, Dunkin’ Donuts International, Baskin-Robbins US, Baskin-Robbins International, and others.

The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index as of November 2015 was 90.4 compared to 102.6 in September 2015.

Marriott’s acquisition of Starwood will likely help Marriott double its international portfolio while diversifying its global presence.

Hyatt’s EV/EBITDA has moved in line with the median valuation multiple of its peers. Hyatt, with rare exceptions, has always traded at a discount to the median valuation multiple of its peers.

Hotels that offer accommodation with limited services and amenities are called select service hotels. Hyatt (H) operates about 37,500 rooms and two brands under this segment.

Some of Hyatt’s competitors—Hilton (HLT), Marriott (MAR), Wyndham (WYN), and Starwood (HOT)—compete in all the segments: Hotels and Resorts, Residential Units, and Vacation Ownership Units.

The global e-commerce market is expected to grow at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 17 from $1.3 trillion in 2014 to $2.5 trillion by the end of 2018.

In fiscal 2014, women’s apparel accounted for 29% of Ross Stores’ sales of $11 billion. Home accents is also a key category at 24% of total sales.

Chipotle (CMG) experienced tremendous same-store sales growth in 2014, with most of its quarters reporting a double-digit growth.

Although Domino’s is spread over 75 countries, most of the company’s revenue comes from domestic markets and is more sensitive to economic conditions in the US.

In 2006, Starwood’s management embarked on an asset-light strategy. It decided to sell a significant portion of Starwood’s owned hotel portfolio.

On February 10, 2015, Starwood Hotels and Resorts announced plans to spin off its vacation ownership business into a separate publicly traded company.

The revenue from owned, leased, and consolidated joint ventures is primarily derived from hotel operations. This includes room rentals and food and beverage sales.

Why the unionization of all fast food workers, which would increase the bargaining power of employees and possibly lead to higher wages, in quite unlikely.

Part-time work is most likely an industry-wide characteristic within the food retail business.