On Wednesday, Truist Securities maintained a Hold rating on Cracker Barrel (NASDAQ:CBRL) shares with a consistent price target of $44.00. The firm's analysis of the company's FY24 10K report revealed several key points, although no significant changes prompted an adjustment to their estimates or price target.
Cracker Barrel has notably increased its marketing expenditure by approximately 26% year-over-year in FY24, with a 41% rise in areas other than billboards. This surge has brought marketing costs to the highest percentage of sales in over two decades, at 3.2%, indicating a potential for future expense normalization.
In addition to marketing adjustments, Cracker Barrel has increased the number of in-store managers, which partially reverses a previous strategy that had delegated more responsibilities to hourly workers. This change in management structure may reflect an effort to enhance store operations and customer service.
Despite a concentrated effort to boost dinner sales, Cracker Barrel experienced mixed results in its various sales dayparts. While dinner sales showed strength, this was counterbalanced by weaker performance during the lunch hours. Nonetheless, the company saw a rapid growth in individual to-go sales, which helped to offset declines in third-party delivery and catering or occasion sales.
The company's financial maneuvers and operational changes come amidst a dynamic market environment, as businesses continue to adapt their strategies to meet evolving consumer demands and market conditions.
In other recent news, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. reported its fiscal 2024 fourth-quarter earnings, revealing a total revenue of $894.4 million, a 6.9% increase from the previous year. However, the adjusted EBITDA decreased to $57.4 million.
The company's earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter fell short of both Loop Capital's estimate of $1.12 and the consensus estimate of $1.10. This led to Loop Capital reducing its price target for the company to $45.00 from $50.00, while maintaining a Hold rating.
On the other hand, Truist Securities increased its price target for Cracker Barrel to $44.00, up from $42.00, also maintaining its Hold rating. This adjustment was made in light of Cracker Barrel's fiscal 2024 results and future plans, which include 25 to 30 store remodels and the opening of new Cracker Barrel and Maple Street locations in fiscal 2025. The company also projects a revenue of $3.4 billion to $3.5 billion for the upcoming fiscal year.
Despite these developments, both Loop Capital and Truist Securities anticipate that customer traffic to Cracker Barrel may continue to face challenges. However, the timeline for improvement remains uncertain. These are the recent developments for the company.
InvestingPro Insights
Recent InvestingPro data provides additional context to Cracker Barrel's financial situation and market performance. Despite the challenges highlighted in the article, the company's revenue for the last twelve months as of Q4 2024 stood at $3.47 billion, with a slight growth of 0.81%. This aligns with the mixed results across different dayparts mentioned in the report.
The increased marketing expenditure noted in the article is reflected in the company's financials, with the operating income margin for the last twelve months at 2.1%. This relatively low margin could be a result of the heightened marketing costs, which reached a two-decade high as a percentage of sales.
InvestingPro Tips offer further insights into Cracker Barrel's current position. One tip highlights that the company has maintained dividend payments for 43 consecutive years, demonstrating a commitment to shareholder returns despite operational challenges. However, another tip indicates that short-term obligations exceed liquid assets, which could be a concern given the increased expenditures on marketing and management structure changes.
For investors seeking a more comprehensive analysis, InvestingPro offers 7 additional tips that could provide valuable insights into Cracker Barrel's financial health and market position.
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