CAVA Group (NYSE:CAVA) Insider Sells $799,498.70 in Stock

CAVA Group, Inc. (NYSE:CAVA) insider Kelly Costanza sold 10,010 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $79.87, for a total value of $799,498.70. Following the transaction, the insider owned 113,850 shares in the company, valued at $9,093,199.50. This trade represents a 8.08% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards.

CAVA Group Trading Down 1.1%

CAVA traded down $0.86 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $80.41. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,124,849 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,456,897. CAVA Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $43.41 and a 52-week high of $98.79. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $84.98 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $69.65. The firm has a market cap of $9.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 154.63, a PEG ratio of 5.57 and a beta of 1.90.

CAVA Group (NYSE:CAVA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 19th. The company reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.17 by $0.03. CAVA Group had a net margin of 4.79% and a return on equity of 7.92%. The business had revenue of $438.27 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $360.89 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.22 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 32.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that CAVA Group, Inc. will post 0.53 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

CAVA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of CAVA Group from $80.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 20th. Northcoast Research raised CAVA Group to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on CAVA Group from $85.00 to $86.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group boosted their price target on CAVA Group from $75.00 to $85.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price target on CAVA Group from $80.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. One investment 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $93.19.

Institutional Trading of CAVA Group

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new position in CAVA Group in the fourth quarter valued at about $208,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of CAVA Group by 14.3% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 606,780 shares of the company’s stock valued at $52,432,000 after buying an additional 75,828 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in shares of CAVA Group by 17.3% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 236,622 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,447,000 after buying an additional 34,860 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. lifted its position in CAVA Group by 9.3% during the 2nd quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,979 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,000 after acquiring an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC lifted its position in CAVA Group by 20.3% during the 2nd quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 9,165 shares of the company’s stock worth $772,000 after acquiring an additional 1,549 shares in the last quarter. 73.15% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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, adding to the constructive analyst sentiment around the stock. Benzinga
• Positive Sentiment: Several firms reiterated or initiated bullish views, including Piper Sandler, Roth MKM, and TD Cowen, while DA Davidson raised its price target to $84, suggesting continued confidence in CAVA’s growth outlook. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Recent coverage highlighted strong Q1 performance, including revenue growth, traffic gains, and same-store sales momentum, along with raised guidance after earnings. Article
• Positive Sentiment: Commentary noted that CAVA posted solid operating leverage, with operating income and restaurant-level margins improving, reinforcing the company’s growth story. Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Some analysis praised the strong quarter but argued the stock’s valuation remains stretched at roughly 150x earnings, which may be tempering enthusiasm even after the earnings beat. Article

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.