CAVA Group (NYSE:CAVA) Posts Earnings Results, Beats Expectations By $0.01 EPS

Posted by Francis Steltz on Aug 13th, 2026

CAVA Group (NYSE:CAVA – Get Free Report) announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The company reported $0.19 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.18 by $0.01, FiscalAI reports. The company had revenue of $368.44 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $360.09 million. CAVA Group had a return on equity of 8.43% and a net margin of 4.82%.The firm’s revenue was up 31.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.16 earnings per share.

Here are the key takeaways from CAVA Group’s conference call:

CAVA reported strong second-quarter results, with revenue up 31.3% year over year to $365.4 million, same-restaurant sales up 9% on 5.3% traffic growth, and adjusted EBITDA up 30% to $54.7 million.
Unit expansion remains robust, with 17 net new restaurants added to reach 476 locations; new-unit productivity exceeded 100%, and management highlighted upcoming entries into Las Vegas and the Bay Area.
Management said food, beverage, and packaging costs are expected to rise as a percentage of revenue in the second half due to fuel surcharges and the rollout of pre-marinated chicken, while labor investments and seasonal margin pressure will also weigh on profitability.
Although same-restaurant sales recovered to mid-single-digit growth after concerns related to the Cyclospora outbreak, full-year guidance remains cautious, incorporating potential lingering food-safety impacts and macroeconomic uncertainty; guidance was maintained at 4.5%-6.5% same-restaurant sales growth and $181 million-$191 million of adjusted EBITDA.
CAVA cited encouraging customer response to its Pomegranate Glazed Salmon, continued loyalty-member growth, and strong lower-income cohort performance, while ongoing investments in technology, leadership development, catering, and operational simplification are intended to support longer-term growth.

CAVA Group Price Performance

Shares of CAVA Group stock opened at $69.92 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $8.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 127.13, a PEG ratio of 4.17 and a beta of 1.74. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $73.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $76.82. CAVA Group has a 1 year low of $43.41 and a 1 year high of $98.79.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp cut their target price on CAVA Group from $110.00 to $95.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of CAVA Group from $88.00 to $98.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of CAVA Group from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 24th. Citigroup restated a “buy” rating on shares of CAVA Group in a report on Tuesday, July 28th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded CAVA Group from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $86.00 to $90.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Buy rating and nine have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, CAVA Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $89.80.

View Our Latest Report on CAVA Group

CAVA Group News Summary

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

Positive Sentiment: Quarterly earnings beat expectations: CAVA reported adjusted earnings of $0.19 per share versus the $0.18 consensus estimate. Revenue rose 31.3% year over year to approximately $368.4 million, exceeding estimates of $360.1 million. CAVA Group quarterly earnings report
Positive Sentiment: Strong restaurant demand: Same-restaurant sales increased roughly 9% to 9.7%, driven by traffic and unit growth. The results helped ease investor concerns that the cyclospora-related food-safety scare had materially damaged customer demand. CAVA food-safety concerns and analyst reaction
Positive Sentiment: Full-year outlook maintained: Management reiterated its fiscal 2026 same-restaurant sales growth forecast of 4.5% to 6.5%, signaling confidence that recent volatility will not derail the broader growth plan. CAVA fiscal 2026 outlook
Positive Sentiment: Analyst support remains favorable: RBC raised its price target to $95 and kept an outperform rating, while Roth Capital reaffirmed its buy rating with a $95 target. Northcoast Research also upgraded the stock from sell to neutral, reducing a source of negative sentiment.
Neutral Sentiment: Targets were mixed: KeyCorp retained an overweight rating but lowered its price target from $110 to $95, suggesting analysts remain positive on the business but are taking a more cautious view of valuation or execution.
Negative Sentiment: Margin pressure remains a concern: Higher food, labor and delivery costs could limit the benefit of strong sales growth. Lettuce-price declines tied to consumer concern over the cyclospora outbreak also highlight continuing food-safety and ingredient-demand risks for restaurant operators. Lettuce prices and cyclospora concerns

Insider Buying and Selling

In other CAVA Group news, CEO Brett Schulman sold 33,174 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.43, for a total transaction of $2,966,750.82. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 798,669 shares in the company, valued at approximately $71,424,968.67. This represents a 3.99% decrease in their position. The sale 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. Also, CFO Tricia K. Tolivar sold 4,969 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, June 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $89.43, for a total transaction of $444,377.67. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 234,931 shares in the company, valued at $21,009,879.33. This trade represents a 2.07% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. Insiders have sold a total of 82,703 shares of company stock valued at $7,249,579 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 6.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of CAVA Group

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bison Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of CAVA Group during the 4th quarter worth about $208,000. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in CAVA Group by 14.3% in the 1st quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 606,780 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,432,000 after purchasing an additional 75,828 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its holdings in CAVA Group by 17.3% in 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 worth $20,447,000 after purchasing an additional 34,860 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. boosted its position in CAVA Group by 9.3% during the second quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. now owns 2,979 shares of the company’s stock worth $251,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC boosted its position in CAVA Group by 20.3% during the second quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 9,165 shares of the company’s stock worth $772,000 after purchasing an additional 1,549 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 73.15% of the company’s stock.

CAVA Group Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.