Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBRL) Stock Rated "Hold" by Sell-Side Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts have a consensus “Hold” rating on Cracker Barrel, with three sell, four hold, three buy and two strong-buy recommendations. The average 12-month price target is $50.86.
• Shares traded at $66.95, above the average analyst target, after rising to a level near their $73.67 52-week high.
• Cracker Barrel reported quarterly EPS of $0.99, beating the $0.17 consensus, and revenue of $849.34 million, above estimates; revenue nevertheless fell 2.2% year over year.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBRL - Get Free Report) has received a consensus rating of "Hold" from the twelve research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have issued a hold recommendation, three have assigned a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $50.86.

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on CBRL. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store from $42.00 to $44.00 and gave the company a "sell" rating in a research note on Friday, September 25th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store from $50.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 22nd. Zacks Research raised shares of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Monday, August 24th. Bank of America reissued an "underperform" rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store in a report on Thursday, September 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store from a "hold (c-)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research report on Friday, October 16th.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Price Performance

NASDAQ CBRL traded up $2.09 during trading on Friday, reaching $66.95. The company's stock had a trading volume of 549,899 shares, compared to its average volume of 780,760. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $59.04 and a 200 day moving average of $44.49. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has a one year low of $24.85 and a one year high of $73.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.50 billion, a PE ratio of 47.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.58 and a quick ratio of 0.24.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (NASDAQ:CBRL - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, September 23rd. The restaurant operator reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.17 by $0.82. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store had a return on equity of 4.01% and a net margin of 0.95%. The firm had revenue of $849.34 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $834.57 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.74 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that Cracker Barrel Old Country Store will post 1.56 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, November 12th. Investors of record on Friday, October 16th were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, October 16th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.5%. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store's payout ratio is 71.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Cracker Barrel Old Country Store news, SVP Donna Roberts sold 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $52.08, for a total transaction of $182,280.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 43,702 shares in the company, valued at $2,276,000.16. This trade represents a 7.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 1.30% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in Cracker Barrel Old Country Store during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $11,152,000. Meros Investment Management LP purchased a new position in Cracker Barrel Old Country Store in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $8,492,076. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in Cracker Barrel Old Country Store in the second quarter valued at approximately $7,444,000. Empowered Funds LLC bought a new stake in Cracker Barrel Old Country Store in the second quarter valued at approximately $4,854,000. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP lifted its position in Cracker Barrel Old Country Store by 132.1% in the first quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 124,739 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $3,506,000 after purchasing an additional 70,987 shares during the last quarter. 96.01% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Company Profile

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. operates restaurants that combine casual dining with a retail store. Its restaurants serve Southern-inspired, homestyle meals, including breakfast, lunch and dinner, while its stores sell gifts, home décor, apparel, food products and other merchandise. Founded in 1969 in Lebanon, Tennessee, the company developed its restaurant-and-store format to serve travelers and local customers. Cracker Barrel operates locations across the United States.

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