Note: You are reading this message either because your browser is not standards-compliant, or your browser failed to load our css files.

 
 

Market Summary

Dow 11617.32 +14.82 (+0.13%)
Nasdaq 2313.74 +9.78 (+0.42%)
Russell 2K 719.19 +2.37 (+0.33%)
S&P 500 1281.30 +4.30 (+0.34%)
S&P 100 592.75 +4.06 (+0.69%)
Quotes are delayed 20 minutes.

Current Targets and Stops

Symbol Picked ST SSL
AAPL $93.00 $225.00 $175.00
CPNE $0.50 $4.50 $1.45
CREE $25.00 $50.00 $23.00
EFSF $0.18 $0.50 $0.16
NIHK $0.04 $0.13 $0.08
PNWIF $1.80 $6.00 $3.00
QID $38.67 $42.19 $35.00
RIMM $115.00 $120.00 $112.00
SPKL $0.69 $2.00 $0.90
TCGD $0.87 $2.00 $0.65
TTGL $0.84 $3.00 $1.73
ST Denotes Suggested Target.
SSL Denotes Suggested Stop Loss.
Click Here to View the V2K International Video Presentation
Free Annual Reports

OTC Blog

OTC Journal RSS Content

The OTC Journal content is also available via RSS feeds, viewable with an RSS or Atom capable client.

Don't miss an article. Click Here for complete instructions on how to add our RSS feeds to your Outlook or Internet Explorer.

  April 16, 2008  
  Volume IX, Issue 27  
Home Page : www.otcjournal.com
Email Questions or Comments To: editor@otcjournal.com

To OTC Journal Members:
 

Pickle (OTC BB: SPKL) Delivers Surge In Same Store Sales

Marc Geman, CEO of Spicy Pickle, will have something Spicy to discuss on today's conference call, which probably will have ended by the time you read this edition. 

As the company disclosed just at the close today, the revenues at Spicy Pickle restaurants in Q1 were up 4.64% from 2007 to 2008. During this period in time, there were 16 stores opened, 4 of which were outside of Colorado. The numbers compare the top line of these 16 stores that were opened in both time frames.

Today, there are 36 stores open, so the 20 not opened yet were not included in the comparison. 

So, how does this stack up against other restaurant chains? Doing a quick search on the internet, I found both Wendy's (NYSE: WEN) and Denny's (NASDAQ: DENN) had declining sales. The only one I could find that reported improving sales was IHOP (NYSE: IHP). IHOP owns Applebees and the venerable pancake house chain, IHOP. At IHOP, the pancake chain was up 3.7%, and Applebees was up .5%. 

IHP was rewarded with about a 3.5% bump in share price on this news. DENN and WEN both sold off on their same store sales comparisons.

It would be unfair to call these apples to apples comparisons (excuse the crude pun towards Applebee's). These chains are long standing and have different models. However, we can assume the market will embrace this news, and I believe it is an outstanding development against the backdrop of a recession causing most businesses at the local level to suffer.

It appears the market likes the idea of the first open conference call, as the stock price has been improving of late on increasing volume, which is always a good sign. Here's the chart:

What you see here are three moving averages- the 10 day (green), 50 day (blue), and 100 day (red). Sorry the colors are a little faint. As you can see, the stock price has begun to improve on increasing volume- always a good sign.

Based on today's news I'm pretty comfortable predicting the stock is an easy shot for the 50 day moving average- which would put us just about $1. Perhaps it will trade there in the early going tomorrow.

A breakout above the 100 day moving average of $1.15 would suggest a longer term uptrend is back in place.

Hopefully, you listened to today's conference call, and are now forming your own opinion of the upside potential in Spicy Pickle. I said it before, and I'll keep saying it- if you are wondering what all the hoopla is about, go try the food. 

Here's the complete text of today's news for your review:
 

Press Release Source: Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc.

Spicy Pickle(TM) Delivers Positive Same Store Sales Increases in First Quarter of 2008

Wednesday April 16, 4:00 pm ET

Same Store Sales Increase by Approximately 5% Over the First Quarter of 2007

DENVER, CO--(MARKET WIRE)--Apr 16, 2008 -- Spicy Pickle(TM) fast casual restaurants (OTC BB:SPKL.OB - News) announced today its same store sales for the first quarter of 2008 compared to the first quarter of 2007 rose nearly 5%.

The comparison includes the 16 Spicy Pickle(TM) restaurants that were open during both the first quarter of 2007 and the first quarter of 2008. The total revenues of those combined restaurants yielded a 4.64% increase over 2007. Spicy Pickle(TM) noted that because these restaurants are owned by franchisees the revenues are not reflected in Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc.'s consolidated financial statements.

Today, there are 36 Spicy Pickle(TM) restaurants open and operating.

Marc Geman, CEO of Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc. commented: "We believe the increase in same store sales of 4.64% over 2007 is a remarkable achievement against a backdrop of an economic recession. For the most part, other restaurant operators have reported declining sales or very minimal growth. Spicy Pickle is delivering significant growth at the store level in a very difficult environment."

"As the Spicy Pickle name gets out, people are trying the food and coming back. The increase in same store sales represents an endorsement of our food and model. People are still taking a break from their work day and seeking out healthy food that tastes great."

"We are known and have a relatively long history in Colorado. Four of the sixteen stores in the same store calculation were in other states. The evidence confirms we can be successful even at the early stages when our name is not as well known. This coupled with the 4 franchise agreements, which encompass 25 franchised restaurants we have sold outside of Colorado this year, bodes well for our future development."

About Spicy Pickle(TM):

Founded in 1999, Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc. (OTC BB:SPKL.OB - News) serves high quality meats and fine artisan breads, baked fresh daily, along with a wide choice of eight different cheeses, twenty-two different toppings, and fourteen proprietary spreads to create healthy and delicious panini and sub sandwiches with flavors from around the world. As a leading "fast-casual" concept, Spicy Pickle(TM) offers menu items that are far beyond traditional fast food -- but without the price point of casual dining. The hallmark of a Spicy Pickle(TM) restaurant is quality, service and an enjoyable atmosphere. The company is headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with restaurants open or under construction across 16 states and many more in development nationwide. To find out more about Spicy Pickle (OTC BB:SPKL.OB - News), visit our website at www.spicypickle.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements:

Certain statements in this press release, including statements regarding the number of restaurants we intend to open, are forward-looking statements. We use words such as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "should," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "may," "predict," "project," "target," and similar terms and phrases, including references to assumptions, to identify forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to us as of the date any such statements are made and we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements. These statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the following: factors that could affect our ability to achieve and manage our planned expansion, such as the availability of a sufficient number of suitable new restaurant sites and the availability of qualified franchisees and employees; risks relating to our expansion into new markets; the risk of food-borne illnesses and other health concerns about our food products; changes in the availability and costs of food; changes in consumer preferences, general economic conditions or consumer discretionary spending; the impact of federal, state or local government regulations relating to our franchisees and employees, and the sale of food or alcoholic beverages; the impact of litigation; our ability to protect our name and logo and other proprietary information; the potential effects of inclement weather; the effect of competition in the restaurant industry; and other risk factors described from time to time in our SEC reports.

Contact:

     COMPANY CONTACT:
     Marc Geman
     CEO
     Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc.
     303-951-2530
     Email Contact 

Source: Spicy Pickle Franchising, Inc.

  Subscribe  

Information is power and timely information is profitable. Become informed and profit from OTC Journal Profiles and Trading Alerts by becoming a Preferred Member today. There is no cost associated with your email subscription. Add your email address below and make sure to check your email inbox and confirm your opt-in request to start receiving the OTC Journal Email Newsletter on a regular basis.

To ensure newsletter delivery, you can add any additional email addresses you may have to the OTC Journal Member List. Receiving the OTC Journal Newsletter in multiple locations is the best way of making sure you don't miss the next investing or trading opportunity! For web based email addresses, the OTC Journal recommends @yahoo.com or @aol.com for timely and reliable email newsletter delivery.

Subscribe Here

Note: Your email address will be kept strictly confidential, and will not be shared with any other entity for any purpose at any time. If you no longer wish to receive the OTC Journal, simply follow the instructions located at the bottom of every OTC Journal Newsletter Edition.

  Refer A Friend  

If you find the OTC Journal informative and profitable, please forward our newsletter alert service to like-minded friends and associates who share similar market interests.


  Ensure Newsletter Delivery  

To ensure newsletter delivery, you can add any additional email addresses you may have to the OTC Journal Member List. Receiving the OTC Journal Newsletter in multiple locations is the best way of making sure you don't miss the next investing or trading opportunity! For web based email addresses, the OTC Journal recommends @yahoo.com or @aol.com for timely and reliable email newsletter delivery.

Note: Your email address will be kept strictly confidential, and will not be shared with any other entity for any purpose at any time. If you no longer wish to receive the OTC Journal, simply follow the instructions located at the bottom of every OTC Journal Newsletter Edition. 

Disclaimer
The OTC Journal Newsletter is an independent electronic publication committed to providing our readers with factual information on selected publicly traded companies. All companies are chosen on the basis of certain financial analysis and other pertinent criteria with a view toward maximizing the upside potential for investors while minimizing the downside risk, whenever possible. Moreover, as detailed below, this publication accepts compensation from certain of the companies which it features. Likewise, this newsletter is owned by MarketByte, LLC. To the degrees enumerated herein, this newsletter should not be regarded as an independent publication.

Go Here to view our compensation on every company we have ever covered, or visit the following web address: http://www.otcjournal.com/disclosure/compensation/section/profile/ for our full profiles and http://www.otcjournal.com/disclosure/compensation/section/alert/ for Trading Alerts.

Larry Isen, the editor and publisher of the OTC Journal, through various entities he controls, has purchased 1,200,441 shares of Spicy Pickle at an average cost of $.2125 per share. These purchases were made in Spicy Pickle private offerings. The aforementioned purchases were made between August of 2005 and August of 2006. On 12/15/07, on entity controlled by Larry Isen participated in an additional financing wherein 12 shares of convertible preferred, converting at $.85 into 120,000 shares and 90,000 warrants with an exercise price of $1.60 were purchased. In addition, Larry Isen has received 785,000 shares of Spicy Pickle common stock for consulting services. In addition, MarketByte LLC, an entity controlled by Larry Isen, has received a fee of $30,000 cash, and 300,000 newly issued restricted shares for coverage of Spicy Pickle. TGR Group LLC, the publisher of the Small Cap Network, has received $30,000 and 300,000 newly issued restricted shares for coverage of Spicy Pickle. Mr. Isen is an affiliate of TGR Group. In addition, two other individuals affiliated with TGR Group have purchased a total of 300,000 shares at $.25 per share and received an additional 70,000 for consulting services.

All statements and expressions are the sole opinions of the editors and are subject to change without notice. A profile, description, or other mention of a company in the newsletter is neither an offer nor solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. While we believe all sources of information to be factual and reliable, in no way do we represent or guarantee the accuracy thereof, nor the statements made herein.

From time to time MarketByte, LLC sells shares in the open market it receives as compensation for coverage of client companies. Since the shares are received as compensation for services as previously disclosed, and not for investment purposes, the editors do not view the sale of the shares as contradictory to any advice delivered in the content. This should be viewed as a conflict of interest by shareholders or prospective shareholders of the client companies.

The editor, members of the editor's family, and/or entities with which they are affiliated aside from MarketBtye LLC itself, are forbidden by company policy to own, buy, sell or otherwise trade stock for their own benefit in the companies who appear in the publication unless specifically disclosed in the newsletter.

The Trustee of the MarketByte, LLC Defined Benefit and Trust (“the MarketByte Pension Plan”) has invested approximately $310,0000 in the Longview Fund (“the Longview Limited Partnership”), a limited partnership in which the MarketByte Pension Plan is a limited partner. No one associated with the MarketByte Pension Plan has any knowledge, information, or control as to any past, present, or future investment activities of the Longview Fund. Longview ocassoinally refers companies to MarketByte, LLC for possible coverage by one of the MarketByte, LLC publications, which publications include the OTC Journal Newsletter. Longview may or may not own shares in the companies that it so refers to MarketByte. MarketByte has no information (outside of information readily accessible to the general public such as SEC filings) as to whether Longview owns any shares in the companies that it refers to MarketByte, LLC. The above relationships should be viewed as a potential and/or actual conflict of interest by shareholders and prospective shareholders of MarketByte, LLC client companies. 

The profiles, critiques, and other editorial content of the OTC Journal may contain statements that appear foward relating to the expected capabilities of the companies mentioned herein.

THE READER SHOULD VERIFY ALL CLAIMS AND DO THEIR OWN DUE DILIGENCE BEFORE INVESTING IN ANY SECURITIES MENTIONED. INVESTING IN SECURITIES IS SPECULATIVE AND CARRIES A HIGH DEGREE OF RISK. THE INFORMATION FOUND IN THIS PROFILE IS PROTECTED BY THE COPYRIGHT LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES AND MAY NOT BE COPIED, OR REPRODUCED IN ANY WAY WITHOUT THE EXPRESSED, WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE EDITORS OF OTCJOURNAL.COM.

We encourage our readers to invest carefully and read the investor information available at the web sites of the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC") at http://www.sec.govand/or the National Association of Securities Dealers ("NASD") at http://www.nasd.com. We also strongly recommend that you read the SEC advisory to investors concerning Internet Stock Fraud, which can be found at http://www.sec.gov/consumer/cyberfr.htm. Disclaimer ID: Readers can review all public filings by companies at the SEC's EDGAR page. The NASD has published information on how to invest carefully at its web site. MarketByte LLC's mailing address is 4653 Carmel Mtn Rd Suite 308 #402, San Diego, CA 92130.


You can unsubscribe from this list at any time by Clicking Here. If you are having difficulty removing yourself or wish to change your address please go to http://www.otcjournal.com/opt/?.

 

Having Trouble Getting Our Email Newsletter?

White List Us. Click Here for more info...
Click Here to View the Spicy Pickle Video Presentation

Latest Blog Entries

Mon, Jul 21, 2008 @ 09:35 pm
It was a pretty ho hum day. The day started out reasonably strong as B of A came out and announced much lower write downs than the market had anticipated. Financials were up early, and carried the market a bit higher. The larger financial institutions are not doing as badly as the market would have [...]
Mon, Jul 21, 2008 @ 09:21 pm
I know there hasn’t been a lot to chew on out of EFSF of late. I have been briefed on developments at the company. The DR program is being fine tuned, and they will be back out there soon with a bigger commitment. There was an article that appeared in a recent edition of Equities Magazine. [...]
Wed, Jul 16, 2008 @ 01:18 pm
Oil, oil, oil, oil. Huge bank rally today along with the first decent up day in the larger markets in the last month. The S&P 500 has dropped 220 points and the DOW has dropped 2,000 points since we’ve had a decent up day like this. One decent day in the larger market does not make [...]

Recent Newsletter Editions

Sat, Jul 19, 2008 @ 08:07 pm
Comments in the BLOG For all of you who were following the trading strategy I laid out in last weekend's edition for shorting large caps into earnings releases, you probably have figured out by now that I have pretty much abandoned that idea. The Daily BLOGs have contained no short term trading ideas...
Thu, Jul 17, 2008 @ 11:23 am
Spicy Pickle (OTC BB: SPKL) Notches #42 SPKL announced store #42 is now open for business. It is located in Michigan- Portage, Michigan to be precise. Michigan represents the 14th state for Spicy Pickle. The Michigan franchisee has committed to opening 10 stores in the Kalamazoo- Grand Rapids- Ann Arbor...
Tue, Jul 15, 2008 @ 01:10 pm
How's Ugly Working So Far? If those who took the time to read my weekend edition on How To Make Ugly Work For You, so far there has been one stock to look at. Genetech (NYSE: DNA) reported earnings post close yesterday, and there was a brief opportunity to take a profit on a short trade or a put option...