Domino's Pizza Enterprises upgraded full-year profit guidance after strong sales in Australia, New Zealand and Europe over the first few months of 2016, but the new forecast may disappoint investors hungry for more. 
Domino's chief executive Don Meij told shareholders on Wednesday that underlying net profit and earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation were now expected to rise 25 per cent in the 12 months ending   June 2016, underpinned by same-store sales growth of 10.5 per cent and currency gains.
This is ahead of the 20 per cent profit growth guidance issued in   August, but well below the 40 per cent growth achieved in 2015.
Analysts are currently forecasting a net profit of at least $81.2 million - 26 per cent higher than last year's $64 million result - and believe Domino's may upgrade guidance again before the end of the year, pointing to a series of upgrades last year.
Mr Meij said same-store sales had risen 13.9 per cent in Australia and New Zealand in the first 18 weeks of 2016, ahead of the 11.3 per cent growth last year, and forecast same-store sales growth of 9 to 11 per cent for the year compared with previous guidance of 6 to 8 per cent.
Same-store sales had risen 7.7 per cent in Europe over the last 18 weeks, compared with 6. per cent last year, and full-year sales were expected to rise 6 to 8 per cent, up from original guidance of 4 to 6 per cent.
The only dampener was Japan, where same-store sales growth slowed to 0.7 per cent in the first 18 weeks, down from 1.8 per cent in 2015. Domino's guidance for Japan was unchanged at 1 to 2 per cent for the full year.
"We have already recorded impressive same-store sales in Australia, New Zealand and Europe for the first 18 weeks of 2016 and Japan is trading in line with management expectations," Mr Meij said.
"It must be said that while we remain cautious with eight months of trading ahead, we are confident about continuing the same strong momentum from the past four months," he said.
Mr Meij credited the strong start to the year in ANZ and Europe to the roll out of technology projects aimed at improving customers' ordering experience.
"The strong positive momentum we are experiencing in Australia and New Zealand is largely attributed to the implementation of the GPS Driver Tracker technology over the past couple of months which allows customers to track their order from the store to the door," he said.
A recent Macquarie Equities report said: "With more than 40 tech projects in the pipeline for 2016, Domino's is looking more and more like a technology company."