SHAK vs CAVA Comparison: AI Score, Valuation, Performance and Upside
Compare Shake Shack and Cava by same-restaurant sales growth, unit economics, international expansion runway, margin trajectory, and which premium fast casual brand offers better long-term growth.
Use this Shake Shack vs Cava comparison to evaluate the key differences across valuation, growth, profitability, and risk before making an investment decision.
CAVA holds the edge across 3 of 5 key metrics in this comparison. CAVA has delivered stronger 1-year price return (-28.11% vs -57.30%), though SHAK has the better forward P/E setup (38.35x vs 82.44x for CAVA). Analyst consensus implies meaningfully more upside for CAVA (+50.04%) than for SHAK (+41.09%).
| Metric | SHAK | CAVA |
|---|---|---|
| AI score | 32.8 | 35.0 |
| AI rank | #2052 | #1699 |
| Latest close | $57.10 | $62.01 |
| 1M return | +4.29% | -24.60% |
| 6M return | -38.33% | -6.17% |
| 1Y return | -57.30% | -28.11% |
How much would $10,000 be worth today if invested at the start of each period, with all dividends reinvested?
| Period | SHAK | CAVA |
|---|---|---|
| 1Y ago | $4.27K (-57.3%) started 2025-07-24 | $7.19K (-28.1%) started 2025-07-24 |
| 5Y ago | $5.48K (-45.2%) started 2021-07-26 | $14.16K (+41.6%) started 2023-06-15 |
| 10Y ago | $13.95K (+39.5%) started 2016-07-25 | $14.16K (+41.6%) started 2023-06-15 |
Hypothetical — past performance does not guarantee future results.
| Metric | SHAK | CAVA |
|---|---|---|
| Market cap | $2.44B | $7.22B |
| Trailing P/E | 58.27 | 119.25 |
| Forward P/E | 38.35 | 82.44 |
| Price/Sales | 1.64 | 5.62 |
| EV/Revenue | 1.95 | 5.80 |
| Analyst target | $80.57 | $93.04 |
| Target upside | +41.09% | +50.04% |
| Metric | SHAK | CAVA |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth | 14.30% | 32.10% |
| Earnings growth | N/A | -9.10% |
| EPS growth | N/A | -9.10% |
| FCF margin | -0.67% | -0.92% |
| Operating margin | N/A | N/A |
| Profit margin | 2.76% | 4.79% |
| ROIC proxy | 8.54% | 8.02% |
| Return on equity | 8.54% | 8.02% |
| Dividend yield | 0.00% | 0.00% |
| Beta | 1.63 | 1.69 |
| Debt/equity | 169.03 | 61.54 |
| Current ratio | 1.69 | 2.65 |
| Quick ratio | 1.55 | 2.53 |
Lower drawdown and smaller single-period drops generally indicate a smoother ride, though they do not guarantee lower future risk.
| Period | Metric | SHAK | CAVA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Y | Growth | -57.30% | -28.11% |
| CAGR | -57.32% | -28.13% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -1.35 | -0.34 | |
| Max drawdown | 62.86% | 51.74% | |
| Max daily drop | 28.26% | 16.63% | |
| Max wkly drop | 33.79% | 22.46% | |
| 5Y | Growth | -45.23% | +41.64% |
| CAGR | -11.36% | +11.85% | |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.07 | 0.41 | |
| Max drawdown | 63.49% | 71.11% | |
| Max daily drop | 28.26% | 16.63% | |
| Max wkly drop | 33.79% | 25.51% | |
| 10Y | Growth | +39.47% | +41.64% |
| CAGR | +3.38% | +11.85% | |
| Sharpe ratio | 0.23 | 0.41 | |
| Max drawdown | 70.89% | 71.11% | |
| Max daily drop | 28.26% | 16.63% | |
| Max wkly drop | 33.79% | 25.51% |
| Category | SHAK | CAVA |
|---|---|---|
| Company | SHAK | CAVA |
| Sector | N/A | N/A |
| Industry | N/A | N/A |
| Core business | N/A | N/A |
| Investor focus | N/A | N/A |
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