Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (NASDAQ:CBRL) Issues Earnings Results

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (NASDAQ:CBRL) released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday. The restaurant operator reported $0.99 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.17 by $0.82, Zacks reports. The business had revenue of $849.34 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $834.57 million. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store had a net margin of 0.79% and a return on equity of 2.78%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.74 EPS.

Here are the key takeaways from Cracker Barrel Old Country Store’s conference call:

• Operational trends improved: Q4 adjusted EBITDA rose 11.4% to $62.1 million, while guest metrics strengthened, including higher Google ratings and significant improvements in food taste, service, and temperature scores.
• Restaurant comparable sales declined 2.1%, driven by a 6.1% traffic decrease, although the company said traffic trends improved sequentially. Retail comparable sales increased 0.7%, the strongest growth since fiscal Q2 2023.
• Management expects fiscal 2027 revenue of $3.325 billion-$3.4 billion, restaurant comparable-sales growth of approximately 3%-5%, and adjusted EBITDA of $180 million-$200 million, supported by traffic recovery, menu-mix initiatives, and cost efficiencies.
• Cracker Barrel ended the quarter with debt down $147.4 million year over year to $337.2 million and $541.3 million of available liquidity. Management said the stronger balance sheet provides flexibility to invest in stores and food while considering dividends and future share repurchases.
• The new CEO is prioritizing improved dinner food quality, guest experience, and employee training, while leveraging the 12.5 million-member loyalty program and retail business. However, management acknowledged continued pressure on lower-income consumers and plans no new restaurant openings in fiscal 2027.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Stock Performance

Shares of CBRL stock opened at $51.84 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $53.85 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $42.11. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has a one year low of $24.85 and a one year high of $60.26. The stock has a market cap of $1.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.03 and a beta of 1.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.72, a current ratio of 0.50 and a quick ratio of 0.19.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, October 16th will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, October 16th. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store’s dividend payout ratio is 71.43%.

Trending Headlines about Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

Here are the key news stories impacting Cracker Barrel Old Country Store this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings significantly exceeded expectations. Adjusted EPS was $0.99, up from $0.74 a year earlier and well above the approximately $0.17 consensus estimate. GAAP EPS rose to $0.54 from $0.30, while revenue of $849.3 million also surpassed expectations of roughly $834.6 million. Cracker Barrel fiscal 2026 results and fiscal 2027 outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Management projected continued improvement in fiscal 2027. Cracker Barrel expects comparable restaurant sales growth of 3% to 5%, revenue of approximately $3.3 billion to $3.4 billion and adjusted EBITDA of $180 million to $200 million. The high end of the EBITDA outlook implies substantial year-over-year growth and helped support investor optimism. Cracker Barrel fiscal 2027 EBITDA outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Operational initiatives may support traffic and profitability. The company highlighted improvements to food, the guest experience and its workforce, including upgrades to three popular menu items. It also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 per share, providing a yield of roughly 2.1%.
• Neutral Sentiment: A report showed zero shares sold short as of September 24, producing a short-interest ratio of zero days. This data does not indicate a meaningful short-covering catalyst and may reflect a reporting anomaly.
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue declined 2.2% year over year, and profitability remains thin. Analysts noted that the earnings beat was helped by non-recurring items, while inflation, macroeconomic pressure and execution challenges could limit margin expansion. The fiscal 2027 revenue range also includes a level slightly below consensus expectations. Analysis of Cracker Barrel after fourth-quarter results

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently commented on CBRL. Bank of America reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $48.00 price objective on shares of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store in a research report on Thursday. Benchmark reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Wall Street Zen raised Cracker Barrel Old Country Store from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 13th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Cracker Barrel Old Country Store from $34.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Finally, Piper Sandler reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $51.00 price target on shares of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store in a research report on Wednesday, July 22nd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, three have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and three have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $50.57.

About Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc operates a chain of full-service restaurants and retail stores under the Cracker Barrel brand. Its restaurants offer Southern-inspired, homestyle meals, including breakfast served throughout the day, lunch, dinner and seasonal menu items.

The company’s adjoining country stores sell a variety of merchandise, including home décor, apparel, gifts, toys, games, candy, music and food products. Cracker Barrel’s locations are designed around a nostalgic country-store and roadside dining experience, with many restaurants featuring front porches and rocking chairs.

Founded in 1969 by Dan Evins, the company opened its first location in Lebanon, Tennessee.