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Why Cracker Barrel (CBRL) Stock Is Trading Lower Today


Anthony Lee /
2025/12/19 3:16 pm EST

What Happened?

Shares of restaurant company Cracker Barrel (NASDAQ:CBRL) fell 2.6% in the afternoon session after Bank of America Securities maintained its "Underperform" rating on the company and lowered its price target. The firm adjusted its price target down to $29.00 from $34.00. This move added to a pattern of cautious analyst outlooks for the restaurant chain.

The stock market overreacts to news, and big price drops can present good opportunities to buy high-quality stocks. Is now the time to buy Cracker Barrel? Access our full analysis report here.

What Is The Market Telling Us

Cracker Barrel’s shares are extremely volatile and have had 37 moves greater than 5% over the last year. In that context, today’s move indicates the market considers this news meaningful but not something that would fundamentally change its perception of the business.

The previous big move we wrote about was 1 day ago when the stock gained 2.5% on the news that positive results from competitor Darden Restaurants boosted investor sentiment across the restaurant sector. 

Darden, a peer in the dining industry, reported second-quarter results that exceeded expectations, with every one of its segments delivering positive same-restaurant sales. This news suggested that consumer spending in the sector remained strong despite broader economic concerns about inflation and rising unemployment. The positive industry signal provided a lift for Cracker Barrel, even as the company itself had been dealing with its own challenges. Recent reports indicated Cracker Barrel's revenue had fallen, and it faced customer backlash over changes intended to revitalize the chain.

Cracker Barrel is down 52.1% since the beginning of the year, and at $26.32 per share, it is trading 63.4% below its 52-week high of $71.86 from July 2025. Investors who bought $1,000 worth of Cracker Barrel’s shares 5 years ago would now be looking at an investment worth $196.60.

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