Cracker Barrel Old Country Store (NASDAQ:CBRL) Shares Gap Up After Earnings Beat

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBRL) gapped up prior to trading on Thursday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock had previously closed at $30.62, but opened at $34.00. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store shares last traded at $30.42, with a volume of 839,515 shares.

The restaurant operator reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.10) by $0.35. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store had a return on equity of 9.74% and a net margin of 0.49%.The firm had revenue of $874.82 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $862.89 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.38 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 7.9% compared to the same quarter last year.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 13th. Investors of record on Friday, April 10th will be issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 10th. Cracker Barrel Old Country Store’s payout ratio is presently 133.33%.

Key Cracker Barrel Old Country Store News

Here are the key news stories impacting Cracker Barrel Old Country Store this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Truist raised its price target to $47 and kept a “buy” rating, implying ~55% upside vs. current levels — a clear positive analyst signal for investors. Truist lifts price target on Cracker Barrel to $47
• Positive Sentiment: Company declared a quarterly dividend of $0.25 (annualized yield ~3.3%), supporting income-oriented holders and providing a floor to equity value.
• Positive Sentiment: Q2 results beat headlines: EPS $0.25 vs. consensus (-$0.10) and revenue ~$874.8M vs. $862.9M est. — the beat reduces near-term downside risk from the quarter. CRACKER BARREL REPORTS SECOND QUARTER FISCAL 2026 RESULTS
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and full transcripts are available for investors who want management commentary on comps, margins and the outlook. Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst writeups and metric breakdowns (Zacks, Yahoo Finance summaries) provide deeper detail on comps, margins and same‑store trends for investors doing due diligence. Here’s What Key Metrics Tell Us About Cracker Barrel Q2 Earnings
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short‑interest data in filings appears anomalous/zeroed out and offers no clear signal to traders at this time.
• Negative Sentiment: Management updated FY2026 guidance with revenue shown roughly in a $3.2B–$3.3B band versus consensus near $3.3B — the cautious top‑line outlook tempers enthusiasm from the quarter’s beat. Q2 press release and outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Coverage and opinion pieces (Seeking Alpha, WSJ) note that Cracker Barrel is still repairing its business after last year’s branding misstep and some analysts argue the stock still merits a downgrade despite the beat. Cracker Barrel Surprised In A Good Way, But Still Deserves A Downgrade Cracker Barrel Works to Repair Its Business

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, December 8th. UBS Group lifted their target price on Cracker Barrel Old Country Store from $26.00 to $31.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. Bank of America dropped their price target on Cracker Barrel Old Country Store from $34.00 to $29.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 19th. Gordon Haskett upgraded Cracker Barrel Old Country Store to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Cracker Barrel Old Country Store from $30.00 to $35.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $37.25.

Insider Activity

In related news, major shareholder Gmt Capital Corp sold 42,400 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.56, for a total transaction of $1,083,744.00. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 2,240,200 shares in the company, valued at approximately $57,259,512. This trade represents a 1.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders sold a total of 254,400 shares of company stock valued at $6,661,464 in the last ninety days. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store by 4.3% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 13,138 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $510,000 after purchasing an additional 546 shares in the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in Cracker Barrel Old Country Store by 31.9% during the 2nd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 70,829 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $4,326,000 after purchasing an additional 17,147 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. grew its stake in Cracker Barrel Old Country Store by 517.3% during the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 500 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 419 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Cracker Barrel Old Country Store during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $279,000. Finally, Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store by 1,368.8% in the 2nd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 2,923 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $179,000 after purchasing an additional 2,724 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.01% of the company’s stock.

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.93, a quick ratio of 0.16 and a current ratio of 0.51. The company has a market capitalization of $686.14 million, a PE ratio of 40.97 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $30.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $36.21.

About Cracker Barrel Old Country Store

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc operates a distinctive combination of country-themed restaurants and retail stores across the United States. Since its founding in 1969, the company has focused on providing a nostalgic dining experience reminiscent of Southern hospitality, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with an emphasis on traditional comfort foods.

The restaurant segment offers an extensive menu featuring signature items such as buttermilk pancakes, country ham, biscuits and gravy, meatloaf and pot roast.