Cava vs. Dutch Bros: Which Stock to Buy for Long-Term Growth?
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Apr 29 2026
0mins
Should l Buy BROS?
Source: Fool
- Cava Sales Growth: After introducing grilled steak in 2024, Cava experienced significant same-store sales growth, but faced tough comparisons thereafter; it forecasts a recovery to 3% to 5% same-store sales growth in 2025, indicating a gradual return to growth momentum.
- Expansion Plans: Cava aims to reach 439 locations by the end of 2025 and targets 1,000 stores in the future; despite consumer pushback against high prices in the fast-casual market, its growth potential remains substantial.
- Dutch Bros Sales Performance: Dutch Bros has driven same-store sales growth through its popular beverage lineup and mobile order-ahead feature, with new hot food items expected to lift same-store sales by 4%, showcasing its strong market performance.
- Market Opportunity Comparison: Dutch Bros plans to expand to 2,029 stores by 2029, with a long-term goal of 7,000 locations; while Cava has higher average unit volumes, Dutch Bros presents a larger market opportunity and lower valuation, making it a more attractive investment choice.
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Analyst Views on BROS
Wall Street analysts forecast BROS stock price to rise
10 Analyst Rating
10 Buy
0 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 53.540
Low
70.00
Averages
78.80
High
85.00
Current: 53.540
Low
70.00
Averages
78.80
High
85.00
About BROS
Dutch Bros Inc. is an operator and franchiser of drive-thru shops, which is focused on serving hand-crafted beverages. The Company sells a range of customizable hot, iced and blended beverages. Coffee-based beverages include handcraft espresso shots for both hot and cold custom classic and signature coffee beverages. It also sells proprietary coffee-based Freeze blended beverages and cold brew. Its Private Reserve coffee is a 100% Arabica three-bean blend, roasted by the Company in Grants Pass, Oregon or Melissa, Texas facilities. The Company has two segments: Company-operated shops, and Franchising and other. The Company-operated shops segment includes retail coffee shop sales to end consumers. The Franchising and other segment includes bean and product sales to franchise partners and includes the initial franchise fees, royalties, and marketing fees. It has approximately 1,101 shops, of which over 779 are operated by the Company and 322 are franchised, across 26 states.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Dutch Bros Q1 Sees Significant Growth from Acquisition
- Acquisition Impact: Dutch Bros experienced significant growth in Q1 from its acquisition of Clutch Coffee Bar, with the reopening of 7 converted shops generating sales volumes averaging over 3 times their pre-conversion levels, indicating a strong brand presence.
- Strong Market Response: CEO Christine Barone noted that the converted shops have drawn large crowds, creating buzz in the community, which reflects an increasing brand recognition and competitive edge in the market.
- Optimistic Future Outlook: The company anticipates completing more Clutch conversions by the end of Q3, which is expected to further drive sales growth and enhance market share, solidifying its position in the rapidly expanding coffee market.
- Analysts' Positive Sentiment: Analysts from RBC Capital Markets and TD Cowen expressed optimism about Dutch Bros' sales growth, highlighting management's positive outlook and historical performance, despite competitive pressures, which keeps market expectations high for future growth.
See More
Dutch Bros Stock Soars on Analyst Upgrades
- Analyst Optimism: Telsey analyst Sarang Vora initiated coverage of Dutch Bros with an outperform rating and a $66 price target, citing the company's unique position and strong customer loyalty, which contributed to a nearly 14% stock increase.
- Price Target Increases: UBS's Dennis Geiger and RBC Capital's Logan Reich reiterated buy ratings, with Geiger setting a target of $85 per share, reflecting strong confidence in the company's expansion, although Reich expressed caution regarding competition.
- Market Response: DA Davidson's Matt Curtis raised his price target from $67 to $70, acknowledging competitive pressures but believing that new product launches from major brands will benefit the overall beverage retail market, indicating a positive outlook for the industry.
- Valuation Concerns: Despite Dutch Bros' solid first-quarter results, its forward P/E ratio nearing 72 and price/sales ratio over 4 raise concerns about its valuation in a relatively mature beverage market, which may impact future stock performance.
See More
Dutch Bros Stock Analysis and Forecast
- Analyst Coverage Initiation: Telsey analyst Sarang Vora initiated coverage on Dutch Bros stock with a buy rating and a price target of $66, highlighting the company's uniqueness and strong customer loyalty in the retail beverage sector, which boosts market confidence in its future growth.
- Price Target Increase: UBS's Dennis Geiger raised his price target to $85, emphasizing the company's strong expansion momentum, while RBC's Logan Reich expressed caution regarding competition, suggesting that new product launches could impact Dutch Bros' market share.
- Market Competition Analysis: Analysts noted that Dutch Bros faces pressure from major competitors like Starbucks and McDonald's, particularly with the latter's new drink offerings potentially affecting its market position, yet the overall outlook for the coffee industry remains positive due to long-term trends.
- Valuation Concerns: Despite solid first-quarter results, the company's forward P/E ratio is nearly 72 and its price/sales ratio exceeds 4, indicating high valuations, leading analysts to advise caution for investors considering a purchase amidst competitive pressures.
See More
Dutch Bros Q1 Earnings Beat Expectations but Stock Drops
- Earnings Beat: Dutch Bros reported Q1 earnings of $0.16 per share, surpassing analyst expectations of $0.15, with sales reaching $464.4 million, which is 3.5% above the anticipated $449.4 million, indicating strong sales growth.
- Store Expansion: The company opened 41 new locations in the quarter, including 8 franchised and 33 company-owned, contributing to an 8.3% increase in same-store sales and a 31% year-over-year sales growth, reflecting sustained market demand.
- Accounting Adjustments Impact: Despite the strong non-GAAP earnings, the actual GAAP earnings were only $0.13, flat year-over-year, primarily due to shareholder dilution from stock issuances over the past year, which spread profits across a larger number of shares, affecting investor confidence.
- Future Outlook: Dutch Bros raised its full-year revenue guidance to over $2.05 billion and plans to invest approximately $280 million in 2026; however, with a valuation of 120 times free cash flow, the stock may appear expensive, potentially impacting its price performance.
See More
Arm Faces Challenges Amid Chip Supply Strains
- Smartphone Market Slowdown: Arm Holdings fell over 6% in pre-market trading due to a memory chip shortage, which has slowed growth in the smartphone market, despite an improved outlook for AI data centers, impacting major tech companies reliant on Arm's services.
- Strong Demand for New CPU: Arm's new CPU has over $2 billion in customer demand over the next two financial years, indicating a positive market reception for its homegrown chips, which strengthens its position in the cloud computing sector, particularly among top hyperscalers with a 50% market share.
- Memory Stocks Rally: Micron Technology and Western Digital saw their stocks rise over 4% amid chip shortages and ongoing AI demand, demonstrating strong pricing power in the current market backdrop, although future prospects remain uncertain due to historical volatility.
- Celsius's Impressive Performance: Celsius Holdings reported a staggering 137.7% revenue increase in Q1, reaching $782.6 million, showcasing robust growth in both its core brand and Alani Nu, which boosts market confidence in its future performance.
See More
Dutch Bros Exceeds Q1 2026 Earnings Expectations, Raises Guidance
- Earnings Beat: Dutch Bros reported Q1 total revenues of $464 million, surpassing analysts' expectations of $449 million, with adjusted EPS at $0.16, indicating strong financial performance and market demand.
- Accelerated Expansion: The company opened 41 new shops in Q1, ahead of schedule, with management projecting at least 185 new openings by 2026, further solidifying market position and driving long-term growth.
- Strong Sales Growth: Same-store sales grew by 8.3% in Q1, driven by a 5.1% increase in transactions, demonstrating consumer loyalty and the successful rollout of new food offerings.
- Optimistic Outlook: Management raised the 2026 revenue guidance to between $2.05 billion and $2.08 billion, with adjusted EBITDA expected to reach $370 million to $380 million, reflecting confidence in future performance despite rising coffee and occupancy cost pressures.
See More
Dutch Bros Q1 Sees Significant Growth from Acquisition
- Acquisition Impact: Dutch Bros experienced significant growth in Q1 from its acquisition of Clutch Coffee Bar, with the reopening of 7 converted shops generating sales volumes averaging over 3 times their pre-conversion levels, indicating a strong brand presence.
- Strong Market Response: CEO Christine Barone noted that the converted shops have drawn large crowds, creating buzz in the community, which reflects an increasing brand recognition and competitive edge in the market.
- Optimistic Future Outlook: The company anticipates completing more Clutch conversions by the end of Q3, which is expected to further drive sales growth and enhance market share, solidifying its position in the rapidly expanding coffee market.
- Analysts' Positive Sentiment: Analysts from RBC Capital Markets and TD Cowen expressed optimism about Dutch Bros' sales growth, highlighting management's positive outlook and historical performance, despite competitive pressures, which keeps market expectations high for future growth.
See More
Dutch Bros Stock Soars on Analyst Upgrades
- Analyst Optimism: Telsey analyst Sarang Vora initiated coverage of Dutch Bros with an outperform rating and a $66 price target, citing the company's unique position and strong customer loyalty, which contributed to a nearly 14% stock increase.
- Price Target Increases: UBS's Dennis Geiger and RBC Capital's Logan Reich reiterated buy ratings, with Geiger setting a target of $85 per share, reflecting strong confidence in the company's expansion, although Reich expressed caution regarding competition.
- Market Response: DA Davidson's Matt Curtis raised his price target from $67 to $70, acknowledging competitive pressures but believing that new product launches from major brands will benefit the overall beverage retail market, indicating a positive outlook for the industry.
- Valuation Concerns: Despite Dutch Bros' solid first-quarter results, its forward P/E ratio nearing 72 and price/sales ratio over 4 raise concerns about its valuation in a relatively mature beverage market, which may impact future stock performance.
See More
Dutch Bros Stock Analysis and Forecast
- Analyst Coverage Initiation: Telsey analyst Sarang Vora initiated coverage on Dutch Bros stock with a buy rating and a price target of $66, highlighting the company's uniqueness and strong customer loyalty in the retail beverage sector, which boosts market confidence in its future growth.
- Price Target Increase: UBS's Dennis Geiger raised his price target to $85, emphasizing the company's strong expansion momentum, while RBC's Logan Reich expressed caution regarding competition, suggesting that new product launches could impact Dutch Bros' market share.
- Market Competition Analysis: Analysts noted that Dutch Bros faces pressure from major competitors like Starbucks and McDonald's, particularly with the latter's new drink offerings potentially affecting its market position, yet the overall outlook for the coffee industry remains positive due to long-term trends.
- Valuation Concerns: Despite solid first-quarter results, the company's forward P/E ratio is nearly 72 and its price/sales ratio exceeds 4, indicating high valuations, leading analysts to advise caution for investors considering a purchase amidst competitive pressures.
See More
Dutch Bros Q1 Earnings Beat Expectations but Stock Drops
- Earnings Beat: Dutch Bros reported Q1 earnings of $0.16 per share, surpassing analyst expectations of $0.15, with sales reaching $464.4 million, which is 3.5% above the anticipated $449.4 million, indicating strong sales growth.
- Store Expansion: The company opened 41 new locations in the quarter, including 8 franchised and 33 company-owned, contributing to an 8.3% increase in same-store sales and a 31% year-over-year sales growth, reflecting sustained market demand.
- Accounting Adjustments Impact: Despite the strong non-GAAP earnings, the actual GAAP earnings were only $0.13, flat year-over-year, primarily due to shareholder dilution from stock issuances over the past year, which spread profits across a larger number of shares, affecting investor confidence.
- Future Outlook: Dutch Bros raised its full-year revenue guidance to over $2.05 billion and plans to invest approximately $280 million in 2026; however, with a valuation of 120 times free cash flow, the stock may appear expensive, potentially impacting its price performance.
See More
Arm Faces Challenges Amid Chip Supply Strains
- Smartphone Market Slowdown: Arm Holdings fell over 6% in pre-market trading due to a memory chip shortage, which has slowed growth in the smartphone market, despite an improved outlook for AI data centers, impacting major tech companies reliant on Arm's services.
- Strong Demand for New CPU: Arm's new CPU has over $2 billion in customer demand over the next two financial years, indicating a positive market reception for its homegrown chips, which strengthens its position in the cloud computing sector, particularly among top hyperscalers with a 50% market share.
- Memory Stocks Rally: Micron Technology and Western Digital saw their stocks rise over 4% amid chip shortages and ongoing AI demand, demonstrating strong pricing power in the current market backdrop, although future prospects remain uncertain due to historical volatility.
- Celsius's Impressive Performance: Celsius Holdings reported a staggering 137.7% revenue increase in Q1, reaching $782.6 million, showcasing robust growth in both its core brand and Alani Nu, which boosts market confidence in its future performance.
See More
Dutch Bros Exceeds Q1 2026 Earnings Expectations, Raises Guidance
- Earnings Beat: Dutch Bros reported Q1 total revenues of $464 million, surpassing analysts' expectations of $449 million, with adjusted EPS at $0.16, indicating strong financial performance and market demand.
- Accelerated Expansion: The company opened 41 new shops in Q1, ahead of schedule, with management projecting at least 185 new openings by 2026, further solidifying market position and driving long-term growth.
- Strong Sales Growth: Same-store sales grew by 8.3% in Q1, driven by a 5.1% increase in transactions, demonstrating consumer loyalty and the successful rollout of new food offerings.
- Optimistic Outlook: Management raised the 2026 revenue guidance to between $2.05 billion and $2.08 billion, with adjusted EBITDA expected to reach $370 million to $380 million, reflecting confidence in future performance despite rising coffee and occupancy cost pressures.
See More
