Cracker Barrel Old Country Store shares have been the focus of renewed attention following recent updates to its price target. While the stock’s fair value remains firm at $46.38 per share, shifts in key financial estimates have prompted a fresh wave of analyst speculation about the company’s outlook. Investors and analysts are closely tracking these evolving signals, watching for future updates to the Cracker Barrel narrative.
Analyst coverage of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store stock has intensified amid guidance resets, recent earnings reports, and brand-related headwinds. The following summarizes the main bullish and bearish perspectives from recent Wall Street commentary and price target revisions.
🐂 Bullish Takeaways
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Truist maintained its Buy rating and lowered its price target to $58 from $62, citing confidence in the company’s core turnaround drivers despite a challenging Q4. Truist believes sales could recover from recent rebranding backlash as marketing around the Fall Menu resumes.
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Truist noted that recent guidance appears to reflect elevated marketing and labor expense, which are seen as necessary investments to support the brand’s sales recovery strategy.
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Piper Sandler maintained a Neutral rating with a target lowered to $49 from $56, noting positive same-store sales growth (+5.4%) even as traffic declined. Their commentary acknowledges that near-term setbacks could be transient, with upside depending on management’s ability to stabilize brand perception and traffic.
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Citi previously raised its price target to $49 from $45 ahead of Q4 earnings, noting some turnaround potential but expressing skepticism about momentum amid negative attention. Citi’s updates indicate ongoing monitoring of management execution as a key factor for future sentiment improvement.
🐻 Bearish Takeaways
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BofA lowered its price target to $42 from $48 and reiterated an Underperform rating, emphasizing that any Q4 comp gains were outweighed by backlash to the new logo and prototype store. BofA trimmed both Q1 EBITDA forecasts and full-year estimates due to expected same-store sales declines.
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Citi, following the fiscal Q4 report, cut its price target to $42 from $47 and kept a Sell rating, pointing to a significant reset in 2026 expectations and acknowledging a “deep traffic hole” early in fiscal Q1 as a particular concern for the near term.
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Piper Sandler, holding a Neutral stance, referenced a notable traffic decline after the new logo launch (traffic down approximately 8% after initial Q1 traffic was already negative), which drove the company’s below-consensus initial FY2026 revenue guidance.
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Analysts across the board flagged uncertainty surrounding valuation, with significant attention paid to brand perception risks and the sustainability of recovery efforts in light of increased marketing spend and declining traffic metrics.
