Stephens

Reviewing Sonic Corporation (NASDAQ: SONC)'s fiscal fourth-quarter results, Stephens said the quarter was a soft one. Following the results, the firm maintains its Outperform rating on the shares of the company and its $30 price target. In pre-market trading, shares of Sonic were down 4.44...

Analysts at Stephens continue to hold a cautious view on Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) despite a recent upgrade. The firm's Will Slabaugh upgraded Chipotle's stock to Equal-Weight in August amid a view that the negative media attention the company has been receiving is "well...

Stephens said in a note that Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. (NASDAQ: RRGB) remains its best idea in restaurant, attributing the opinion to a trio of factors, namely improving revenue trends, meaningful cost opportunities across multiple line items and valuation. As such, the firm has an...

Analysts at Stephens continue to hold a bullish view on McDonald's Corporation (NYSE: MCD) heading into earnings season for the restaurant group. The firm's Will Slabaugh maintains an Overweight rating on McDonald's stock with an unchanged $175 price target after conducting first-hand industry...

Reflecting an improving egg commodity cycle, Stephens upgraded shares of Cal-Maine Foods Inc (NASDAQ: CALM). The firm said the improvement is characterized by below-par production, stronger-than-expected demand and increasing export opportunities. As such, the firm upgraded the shares of the...

Analysts at Stephens acknowledge that Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) remains one of the few consumer brands in existence that can consistently grow its square footage and same-store sales — but this alone isn't sufficient reason to buy shares of the java giant.  Stephens'...

The shock waves from Hurricane Harvey — which has caused a diaspora of great magnitude and the deaths of at least 30 people — are continuing to reverberate in the market. Oil refineries have halted operations, prompting surges in national gas prices. Vehicles are underwater and...

Wal-Mart Stores Inc (NYSE: WMT)’s good news began late-July with the mixed earnings report of menacing competitor Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), and it continued with the sound beats of Target Corporation (NYSE: TGT) Wednesday and TJX Companies Inc (NYSE: TJX) Tuesday ━ results that may...

“Growth potential as strong as the coffee,” one analyst noted even after Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX)'s disappointing third-quarter earnings call. But, that did not stop the majority of Wall Street analysts from slashing their ratings and price targets on Starbucks, as it...

Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ: SBUX) reported third-quarter earnings in line with consensus on Thursday, with EPS coming in at $0.55 and $5.7 billion in sales. Comps were just below the Street’s expectations, growing 5 percent in the Americas compared to 5.2 percent consensus. The stock...

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) has suffered its share of problems since last week, causing shares to reach a new four-year low. However, in some positive news, the company reported a second-quarter an earnings beat after Tuesday's close. Chipotle delivered Q2 earnings of $2.32 per...

Earnings season for the restaurant sector is kicking into high gear with eight companies reporting soon, analysts at Stephens commented in a research report. As a whole, volatility and negative sentiment hasn't changed much there may be a few positive standouts in the quarter. McDonald's (Reporting...

Stephens analyst Will Slaubaugh said he is buying Chuy's Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: CHUY), as sentiment has bottomed out. The analyst noted that the company's shares have lost about 25 percent since its May 4 conference call following Cheesecake Factory Inc (NASDAQ: CAKE)'s negative pre-announcement...

Another analyst is left puzzled and waiting after Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD)’s lost proxy war with activist investor Marcato Capital Management in early June. Stephen’s Will Slabaugh downgraded shares of Buffalo Wild Wings from Overweight to Equal Weight and reduced its price...

Shares of Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: DRI) were trading higher by more than 3 percent early Tuesday morning after the company reported its fiscal fourth-quarter results and issued guidance for the coming year. Darden Restaurants, the parent company of Olive Garden and other restaurant chains,...