Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!americast-post Newsgroups: americast.ibd From: americast-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: americast-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: Companies In The Leading Industry Date: Thu, 19 Nov 92 13:26:44 EST Message-ID: <1.1992Nov19.132644@AmeriCast.com> 11/19/92 TITLE Companies In The Leading Industry #m#gm#m#Cluster Of New Issues Lift Restaurant Group The Retail - Food & Restaurants group has emerged as one of the premier growth areas of the stock market in the past year thanks to a large batch of hot new is- sues, including such stars as Checker's Drive-In Restaurants Inc., Lone Star Steakhouse Inc., Outback Steakhouse Inc. and Ap- ple South Inc. The 90-stock group has gained more than 21% since Jan. 1. It ranks among the top 10 industry groups of the 197 tracked by Investor's Business Daily for its performance so far this year. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index, by comparison, has gained less than 1%. Lone Star has quadrupled from a split- adjusted offering price of $6.75 a share in March. The Wichita, Kan.-based company serves up "Texas-sized" portions of mesquite grilled steak and rib dishes in eight restaurants located in four states. Its earnings have been growing at a triple-digit pace since it came public. Checker's also has quadrupled since its debut. The company's 1950s diner-style restaurants, which number more than 100 in 10 states, have pumped out triple-digit earnings growth since its debut a year ago. Checker's, based in Clearwater, Fla., had sales of $75 million in the past 12 months, compared with Lone Star's $23 million. This article is copyright 1992 Investors Business Daily. Redis- tribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM