Dunkin' Brands Declares Dividend, Announces Share Buybacks

Dunkin' Brands Group Inc. said Thursday that activity for its U.S. restaurants in the fourth quarter was "robust" despite macroeconomic and competitive headwinds. The company earned an adjusted 46 per share in the quarter, versus 43 cents in the year-ago quarter. That was just shy of the 47 cents a share analysts polled by FactSet Research were forecasting. Revenue rose 5.5% to $193.2 million over the year-ago quarter. The company also declared a $0.265 first-quarter dividend, a 15% increase over that of the fourth quarter, and the board of directors also approved a new $700 million share buyback program.