Piper Sandler Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for CAVA Group (NYSE:CAVA) Stock

CAVA Group (NYSE:CAVA) had its target price increased by equities researchers at Piper Sandler from $71.00 to $85.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has an “overweight” rating on the stock. Piper Sandler’s price target indicates a potential upside of 0.28% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of CAVA Group in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Barclays boosted their price objective on CAVA Group from $52.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Telsey Advisory Group increased their price objective on CAVA Group from $85.00 to $88.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $68.00 target price on shares of CAVA Group in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Mizuho upped their price target on CAVA Group from $52.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, January 9th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, thirteen have assigned a Buy rating and eight have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $82.45.

CAVA Group Stock Down 1.1%

Shares of NYSE:CAVA opened at $84.76 on Wednesday. CAVA Group has a twelve month low of $43.41 and a twelve month high of $101.50. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $65.88 and its 200-day moving average is $61.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 156.97, a PEG ratio of 6.73 and a beta of 2.41.

CAVA Group (NYSE:CAVA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.03 by $0.01. CAVA Group had a net margin of 5.40% and a return on equity of 8.43%. The business had revenue of $274.99 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $268.04 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.05 EPS. CAVA Group’s revenue was up 20.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that CAVA Group will post 0.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at CAVA Group

In related news, insider Theodoros Xenohristos sold 1,039 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.14, for a total transaction of $64,563.46. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 332,205 shares in the company, valued at approximately $20,643,218.70. This represents a 0.31% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Tricia K. Tolivar sold 2,404 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, January 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.14, for a total transaction of $149,384.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 231,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,412,378.76. This trade represents a 1.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 39,055 shares of company stock worth $2,572,303. Company insiders own 6.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of CAVA. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of CAVA Group by 105.4% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 4,228,736 shares of the company’s stock worth $255,451,000 after purchasing an additional 2,169,553 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in CAVA Group in the third quarter worth $114,098,000. Capital Research Global Investors raised its stake in shares of CAVA Group by 27.2% in the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 8,440,040 shares of the company’s stock valued at $495,344,000 after buying an additional 1,805,174 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in shares of CAVA Group by 118.3% in the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 2,953,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $178,432,000 after buying an additional 1,600,630 shares during the period. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP lifted its position in shares of CAVA Group by 689.8% during the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 1,387,774 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,448,000 after buying an additional 1,212,068 shares during the last quarter. 73.15% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

CAVA Group News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting CAVA Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and $1B revenue milestone: CAVA beat consensus (EPS $0.04 vs $0.03; revenue ~$275M) and cleared $1 billion in annual revenue — a clear catalyst for the post-earnings rally. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst upgrades and higher targets: Multiple firms raised price targets and issued buy/positive ratings (RBC, TD Cowen, Piper Sandler, Sanford Bernstein among others), supporting short-term bullishness. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Management tone and consumer trend: CEO comments that consumers are returning to preferred, higher-quality choices (not just cheapest options) provided an extra behavioral tailwind for fast-casual names. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: 2026 outlook — rapid unit growth but modest comps: The company guided to 74–76 new openings and 3–5% same-store-sales growth while advancing menu innovation — expansion supports long-term revenue but low comp guidance tempers margin/traffic optimism. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings-call detail: Management reiterated cautious pricing and value focus (limited menu price increases) to retain value-oriented customers — a defensive posture that keeps growth steady but limits near-term margin upside. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation and “growth priced in” worries: CAVA trades at a high multiple (elevated P/S and P/E ratios versus peers); several analysts/commentators warn that much of the expansion is already priced into the stock, reducing upside. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Downgrade/negative takes: Some commentary and ratings shifts emphasize the precariousness of fast‑casual fundamentals and question whether modest comp guidance justifies the premium multiple. These views pressured sentiment after the initial rally. Read More.

About CAVA Group

CAVA Group, Inc (NYSE: CAVA) is a leading fast-casual restaurant company specializing in Mediterranean-inspired cuisine. Operating under the CAVA brand, the company offers customizable bowls, pitas and salads built around a variety of proteins, grains, fresh vegetables and house-made spreads. With a focus on high-quality ingredients and made-to-order preparation, CAVA aims to deliver a casual yet elevated dining experience for dine-in, takeout and catering customers.

Founded in 2011 in the Washington, DC metro area by Ike Grigoropoulos, Dimitri Katsanis and Brett Schulman, CAVA has pursued an aggressive growth strategy that included the 2018 acquisition of Zoe’s Kitchen.