Dine Brands Global Inc (DIN) Exchange: NYSE

Dine Brands Global Inc (DIN) is the worldwide owner of two of the world’s most recognized restaurant brands Applebee’s Grill & Bar and IHOP. The company has 1,949 restaurants in 21 countries and territories, 682 IHOP restaurants and 1,267 Applebee’s restaurants across the United States, Canada, and abroad. DIN was created in 2007 after Dine Equity spun off from IHOP Corporation and said goodbye to a ten-year partnership. The equity stake between DIN and IHOP allowed it to secure $180 million in cash. DIN’s dividend has steadily been rising since the split with IHOP. Over the past decade, DIN has had annual and quarterly stock performance, earnings and cash flow growth. In recent years, DIN has focused more on franchising their locations instead of running them, which has resulted in a 12% increase in Franchise operating margins and system-wide AUV growth. After acquiring Applebee’s in 2018, DIN has taken the necessary steps to capitalize on Applebee’s brand strength and leverage their infrastructure, lending itself to smarter allocation of resources.