Shares of Cava Group (NYSE: CAVA) initially soared after the Mediterranean fast-casual chain reported fiscal first-quarter results Tuesday afternoon, with the stock opening Wednesday’s session at nearly $87.
The reaction made sense: revenue jumped 32% year over year, same-restaurant sales reaccelerated to 9.7% from just 0.5% in the prior quarter, and management raised its full-year outlook on nearly every line that matters
But the bulk of that early surge has since faded. As of this writing, the stock is trading at about $81 — only modestly above where it closed before Cava’s earnings release. So, with the underlying business clearly accelerating again, is the stock still a buy?
A sharp reacceleration Net revenue in Cava’s fiscal first quarter (the period ended April 19, 2026) rose 32.2% year over year to $434.4 million. The bigger story, however, was same-restaurant sales, which grew 9.7% — a huge rebound. Just look at how same-restaurant sales played out over the chain’s last five quarters: 10.8% in fiscal Q1 2025, 2.1% in fiscal Q2, 1.9% in fiscal Q3, and a mere 0.5% in fiscal Q4 2025.