Kelly Costanza Sells 10,010 Shares of CAVA Group (NYSE:CAVA) Stock

CAVA Group, Inc. (NYSE:CAVA) insider Kelly Costanza sold 10,010 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.87, for a total value of $799,498.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 113,850 shares in the company, valued at $9,093,199.50. This represents a 8.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

CAVA Group Stock Down 1.1%

NYSE:CAVA opened at $80.41 on Friday. CAVA Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $43.41 and a 12-month high of $98.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 154.63, a P/E/G ratio of 5.61 and a beta of 1.90. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $84.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $69.73.

CAVA Group (NYSE:CAVA) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, May 19th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.03. CAVA Group had a return on equity of 7.92% and a net margin of 4.79%.The business had revenue of $438.27 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $360.89 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.22 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 32.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that CAVA Group, Inc. will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Argus set a $92.00 price target on CAVA Group in a research report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on CAVA Group from $90.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen upgraded CAVA Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of CAVA Group in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Truist Financial raised their price target on CAVA Group from $80.00 to $85.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, CAVA Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $93.19.

Institutional Trading of CAVA Group

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAVA. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in CAVA Group during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in CAVA Group by 378.7% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 450 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 356 shares during the period. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in CAVA Group by 347.8% during the 4th quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 515 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the period. CNB Bank raised its stake in CAVA Group by 275.8% during the 3rd quarter. CNB Bank now owns 575 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 422 shares during the period. Finally, TD Private Client Wealth LLC raised its stake in CAVA Group by 118.2% during the 4th quarter. TD Private Client Wealth LLC now owns 600 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.15% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting CAVA Group

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

• Positive Sentiment: Argus upgraded CAVA Group from hold to buy, reinforcing the optimistic post-earnings sentiment around the stock. Argus upgrade coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary continued to lean bullish, with Piper Sandler reaffirming a buy rating, Roth MKM reiterating buy, and TD Cowen maintaining a buy call. Piper Sandler coverage
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted strong Q1 results, including 9.7% same-restaurant sales growth and improved operating leverage, which supports the case for continued fundamental momentum. Seeking Alpha article
• Neutral Sentiment: DA Davidson raised its price target to $84 from $80 but kept a neutral rating, suggesting upside potential but also valuation caution. DA Davidson price target update
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider selling was disclosed by CAO Adam David Phillips and insider Kelly Costanza, though Costanza’s sale was tied to tax withholding on vesting equity awards, making the signal less negative than a discretionary sale. SEC filing

CAVA Group Company Profile

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.