Domino's Pizza shares tank after sales growth not as strong as expected

Domino’s Pizza (DPZ) shares tanked 7.29% as of 9:38 a.m. ET on Thursday and are on pace for their worst day since July 25, 2017 after reporting disappointing Q4 sales both in the U.S. and internationally.

Same-store sales in the U.S. grew 5.6% the quarter which was weaker than Wall Street estimates of 7.2% growth. International same-store sales grew 2.4% and was softer than analysts’ 4.2% growth expectations.

"I am pleased with our fourth quarter, which capped a very strong 2018 for Domino's," CEO Ritch Allison said in a statement. "Our long-game approach, driven by fundamentals and the finest franchisee base in QSR across the globe, continues to pace the industry – and we are excited to execute our global strategy in 2019 and beyond."

Earnings were weaker than expected at $2.62 per share. Analysts were expecting earnings per share of $2.69.

Revenue during Q4 came in at $1.08 billion and fell short of analyst predictions for revenue of $1.10 billion.

Heidi Chung is a reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter: @heidi_chung.

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