Why Analysts Are Not Impressed With Shake Shack

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By Chris Lange Published
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The quiet period for Shake Shack Inc. (NYSE: SHAK) has officially ended, and analysts are taking a perspective similar to the stock’s performance following its initial public offering (IPO).

The original price range for the IPO was $14 to $16 per share, but the company raised the pricing to $21 per share and investors bid shares up nearly 125% for the first trade. On the IPO date, over 16 million shares changed hands and the day had a range of $45.12 to $52.50.

As we had previously said, whenever we see an enormous first-day jump like this we have to wonder how the underwriters failed to see the demand. Sure they want to see that their big clients make a profit on an IPO, but what about the company? Investors should have been happy with a solid 25% first-day gain and the company could have pocketed more cash.

Shares topped out at the IPO date at $52.50 and closed the day at $45.90. Since that date these points were the highest high and the highest close that the stock has seen. As great as the IPO was, shares have entered into a steady decline since that time.

Technically speaking, all the IPO buyers are up massively while a majority of investors who chased Shake Shack have only seen the price slowly dwindle.

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The analysts that have weighed in so far have not been incredibly optimistic for Shake Shack’s outlook:

  • Barclays initiated coverage with an Equal Weight rating.
  • Jefferies started it at a Hold with a $40 price target.
  • William Blair started it with a Market Perform rating.
  • Goldman Sachs initiated coverage with a Neutral rating and a $36 price target.
  • J.P. Morgan started coverage of Shake Shack with a Neutral rating.
  • Stifel started it with a Buy rating and a $50 price target, the one positive rating out of this group.

Shares of Shake Shack closed Monday down 7.3% to $41.60. In early trading Tuesday, shares were up 5.2% at $43.76. The stock has a post-IPO trading range of $38.64 to $52.50, and the market cap is $470 million.

Photo of Chris Lange
About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.

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