CAVA vs DRI Stock Comparison
Compare CAVA and DRI across AIQ Score, fundamentals, valuation, momentum, risk, analyst expectations and current market evidence.
What is the main difference between CAVA and DRI?
DRI leads the current stock comparison as Darden Restaurants, Inc., with the clearest separation coming from quality and the broader AIQ evidence mix.
AlgovestIQ AIQ Comparison
CAVA Group, Inc. vs Darden Restaurants, Inc.
DRI leads
DRI leads by 18 AIQ points, primarily on Quality and Value. Wall Street currently favors CAVA on target upside.
Stable: 5 of 6 evidence groups support DRI, and its current signal state is conflicted.
CAVA Group, Inc.
Darden Restaurants, Inc.
The Algovestiq AIQ Score currently favors DRI over CAVA, 48 versus 30 as of Sep 11, 2026. DRI's advantage is driven primarily by stronger quality and value. DRI also shows the stronger technical structure relative to its 50-day moving average, though analyst target upside currently favors CAVA. 5 of 6 covered evidence groups favor DRI today, and the comparison is rated Stable on stability: the leader is throwing conflicting signals. DRI lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 18 points over 30 sessions. DRI leads on all four AIQ factor dimensions. Value is itself one of those four, so a sweep is not explained by valuation alone — it deserves additional scrutiny for unmodeled catalysts, expectations or event risk.
Compare CAVA Group, Inc. and Darden Restaurants, Inc. across the Algovestiq AIQ Score, valuation, quality, momentum, risk, technicals and analyst expectations.
Performance over time
Price-return comparison using available daily close history.
Total return comparison
Growth of $10,000
Based on available close-price history. Distribution reinvestment is not added unless already reflected in the source series.
Compare CAVA and DRI against another ticker
Open a multi-ticker workspace without changing this focused pair page.
AIQ Factor Divergence
Where the two separate, on the four dimensions behind the AIQ Score. Bars read outward from a shared zero: further from the centre is a wider gap.
- Quality38 vs 70DRI +32
- Value24 vs 40DRI +16
- Momentum21 vs 33DRI +12
- Risk Resilience38 vs 44DRI +6
5 of 6 evidence groups favor DRI. DRI’s edge is concentrated in quality and value.
What changed since the last close
Latest scored session 2026-09-10, compared against the prior scored session 2026-09-09.
No factor moved materially.
No new signals fired.
Largest factor move: Risk Resilience +2
New signals
- BB Lower Band Breach — bullish, volatility, short horizon
- Keltner Channel Breakdown — bearish, volatility, short horizon
- EMA Ribbon Compression — neutral, trend, medium horizon
DRI's lead was unchanged in the latest snapshot.
Deeper signal detail for each name lives on its own signals page — CAVA and DRI both carry a full feed there.
The central trade-off
DRI (Darden Restaurants, Inc.): the stronger current systematic profile, led by quality and value.
CAVA (CAVA Group, Inc.): the counter-case, on analyst expectations — but at materially higher volatility, 51.6% against 27.1%.
The AIQ Score and Wall Street therefore point in different directions on this pair.
Which one fits your objective
The same two names rank differently depending on what you are optimizing for. All six reads are shown at once — none of them is hidden behind a toggle.
Balanced
DRIDRI on the overall AIQ Score, which weights Quality and Value most heavily.
Growth
DRIDRI on combined revenue and EPS growth.
Value
DRIDRI on the peer-relative Value factor, by 16 points.
Momentum
DRIDRI on the Momentum factor, by 12 points.
Lower downside
DRIDRI on Risk Resilience, by 6 points.
Analyst upside
CAVACAVA on implied upside to the consensus price target.
AIQ vs Wall Street
The model and the Street disagree here: AIQ favors DRI, analyst targets favor CAVA. That disagreement is the most useful thing on this page.
| Measure | CAVA | DRI | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Implied upside to target | +63.6% | +10.9% | CAVA has more room |
| Target dispersion | +39.4% | +16.3% | Lower is tighter analyst agreement |
| Consensus | Buy | Buy | Context, not a primary driver |
| Analysts covering | 17 | 9 | Higher coverage generally improves confidence |
The two are measuring different things. The AIQ Score reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; analyst targets price forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something already priced in — it is worth resolving before acting on either.
Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions. Dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
AIQ Agreement Matrix
5 of 6 covered evidence groups favor DRI. A wide gap backed by one group is a weaker case than a narrow gap backed by five.
| Evidence group | Favors | Reading |
|---|---|---|
| AIQ Score | DRI | 30 vs 48 |
| Fundamentals | DRI | revenue growth -15.9% vs 11.2%; TTM ROE 8.3% vs 56%; gross margin 20.2% vs 69.4%; operating margin 6.8% vs 12% |
| Valuation | DRI | Value 24 vs 40 |
| Technicals | DRI | Price vs 50-day -16.2% vs 0.1%; vs 200-day -21.2% vs 2.8% |
| Risk Resilience | DRI | Risk Resilience 38 vs 44 |
| Analyst expectations | CAVA | Target upside 63.6% vs 10.9% |
✓ agrees with the overall verdict · ✕ points the other way. Groups marked “not covered” lack data on one or both of CAVA and DRI and are excluded from the count.
AIQ Decision Stability
The conclusion rests on a wide gap and broad agreement. It is unlikely to turn on a single session.
- The AIQ gap is wide at 18 points. (supports the conclusion holding)
- 5 of 6 covered evidence groups point the same way. (supports the conclusion holding)
- The leader is throwing conflicting signals. (argues the conclusion is provisional)
Stability combines the score gap, how broadly the evidence agrees, how steady the lead has been across daily snapshots, the current signal state on both names, and analyst dispersion on DRI.
How the comparison changed
119 daily snapshots · May 4 – Sep 10DRI lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 18 points over 30 sessions.
- Today
- DRI +18
- 30 vs 48
- 7 sessions ago
- DRI +22
- 30 vs 52
- 30 sessions ago
- DRI +18
- 42 vs 60
- 90 sessions ago
- DRI +20
- 33 vs 53
The lead has not changed hands in this window.
AIQ Signal Divergence
Only the signals that bear on the head-to-head. A conflicted name is carrying bullish and bearish rules at the same time — the technical evidence is not pointing one way.
2 bullish / 4 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
- Death Cross Active — bearish, trend, long horizon (8.27%)
- BB Lower Band Breach — bullish, volatility, short horizon
- Keltner Channel Breakdown — bearish, volatility, short horizon
2 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted
- Golden Cross Active — bullish, trend, long horizon (3.88%)
- BB Lower Band Breach — bullish, volatility, short horizon
- Keltner Channel Breakdown — bearish, volatility, short horizon
DRI leads the comparison while carrying a conflicted signal state, which is one reason the stability rating is not higher.
Price vs model alignment
Whether the latest session's price move confirms what the model did over the same session, or contradicts it.
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +3.48%, AIQ 0 points).
Neither the price nor the AIQ Score moved enough in the latest session to confirm or contradict the other (price +1.14%, AIQ 0 points).
What would flip this result
A state, not a forecast. These are the specific, observable changes that would reverse the verdict — not a price prediction.
- 1CAVA closes the Quality gap — currently 32 points behind, the largest single contributor to DRI's edge.
- 2CAVA's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it.
- 3DRI's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 2 bullish and 2 bearish rules at once.
- 4A regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
The full evidence
Every number behind the verdict. The leader is called above each group so you are not left to solve it from the table.
Fundamentals
DRI leads on balance| Metric | CAVA | DRI |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue growth (YoY) | -15.9% | 11.2% |
| EPS growth (YoY) | 0% | 33.1% |
| Gross margin | 20.2% | 69.4% |
| Operating margin | 6.8% | 12% |
| Return on equity (TTM) | 8.3% | 56% |
| Debt to equity | 0.62 | 2.74 |
Performance
DRI leads 6 of 6 windows| Metric | CAVA | DRI |
|---|---|---|
| 1 week (5 sessions) | -12.6% | -5.7% |
| 1 month (20 sessions) | -22.3% | -8.9% |
| 3 months (63 sessions) | -33.8% | 1.9% |
| 6 months (126 sessions) | -32.4% | 2% |
| Year to date | -8% | 12.8% |
| 1 year (252 sessions) | -17.4% | -1.5% |
Technicals
DRI has the stronger structure| Metric | CAVA | DRI |
|---|---|---|
| RSI (14) | 13.7 | 38.7 |
| ADX (14) | 19.6 | 21.9 |
| Price vs 50-day | -16.2% | 0.1% |
| Price vs 200-day | -21.2% | 2.8% |
| Volatility (1M, annualized) | 51.6% | 27.1% |
Risk
DRI is the more resilient| Metric | CAVA | DRI |
|---|---|---|
| Beta | 1.4 | 0.21 |
| Sharpe ratio | -0.09 | -0.08 |
| Sortino ratio | -0.17 | -0.12 |
| Max drawdown | -44.5% | -20.7% |
| Current drawdown | -44.5% | -8.8% |
| Annualized volatility | 60% | 27.6% |
| Value at risk (95%) | -5.6% | -3% |
Straight answers
Each answer is regenerated from the current snapshot, not written once and left to age.
Which is better, CAVA or DRI?
On the Algovestiq AIQ Score, DRI is the stronger of the two as of Sep 11, 2026, scoring 48 against CAVA's 30. The edge comes from quality and value. This is a systematic score, not a recommendation: it ranks the two on the same evidence, it does not know your holding period or tax position.
Is CAVA or DRI the better buy right now?
DRI carries the stronger systematic profile as of Sep 11, 2026, and the comparison is rated Stable — 5 of 6 covered evidence groups agree. A Stable rating means the gap is wide and the evidence is broad, so the conclusion is unlikely to turn on a single session.
Why does the AIQ Score favor DRI over CAVA?
The composite weights Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk Resilience. DRI leads Quality by 32 points; DRI leads Value by 16 points; DRI leads Momentum by 12 points. DRI leads on all four AIQ factor dimensions. Value is itself one of those four, so the sweep is not explained by CAVA simply being cheaper — it warrants extra scrutiny for unmodeled catalysts, forward expectations or event risk the factors do not capture.
Which has more analyst upside, CAVA or DRI?
Analyst price targets imply +63.6% upside for CAVA and +10.9% for DRI, so the Street currently favors CAVA. That points the opposite way to the AIQ Score, which favors DRI. The two are measuring different things: the model reads current fundamentals, valuation, trend and risk; the Street is pricing forward expectations. A divergence of this kind is either a contrarian opportunity or a sign the model is missing something the analysts have already priced — it is the single most useful row on this page to investigate. Analyst targets are expectations, not predictions, and dispersion matters as much as the midpoint.
Which is better value, CAVA or DRI?
DRI is the better-valued of the two on the peer-relative Value factor. DRI on the peer-relative Value factor, by 16 points. The Value factor reads valuation relative to sector peers and to the company's own fundamental quality, so it is not the same as simply having the lower multiple.
Which has stronger growth, CAVA or DRI?
DRI on combined revenue and EPS growth. Growth here is measured on reported revenue and earnings, not on forward estimates — it describes what the businesses have delivered, not what the Street expects next.
Which has stronger momentum, CAVA or DRI?
DRI on the Momentum factor, by 12 points. Momentum is one of the four weighted factors in the AIQ composite. It has documented persistence over three- to twelve-month horizons, which makes it a timing input rather than a reason to hold something indefinitely.
Which is riskier, CAVA or DRI?
DRI is the more resilient of the two, so the other name carries the higher downside risk. DRI on Risk Resilience, by 6 points. Risk Resilience is a weighted factor in the composite; position sizing usually responds to it more usefully than the buy/avoid decision does.
Is CAVA more profitable than DRI?
DRI leads on the comparable margin measures — gross margin 20.2% vs 69.4%; operating margin 6.8% vs 12%; ttm roe 8.3% vs 56%.
Is DRI's lead over CAVA getting stronger or weaker?
DRI lead: Stable — the AIQ differential has held near 18 points over 30 sessions. This is measured from 119 daily comparison snapshots between 2026-05-04 and 2026-09-10. The lead has not changed hands in that window.
What would change the CAVA vs DRI verdict?
The result is a state, not a forecast, so it changes when the underlying evidence changes. Concretely: CAVA closes the Quality gap — currently 32 points behind, the largest single contributor to DRI's edge; CAVA's Death Cross Active resolves — a bearish trend rule currently active against it; DRI's conflicting signal state resolves bearish — it currently carries 2 bullish and 2 bearish rules at once; a regime shift changes factor weighting — Quality and Value carry the heaviest weights in the composite, so a rotation toward either would move the result most.
What do the current signals say about CAVA and DRI?
CAVA: 2 bullish / 4 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. DRI: 2 bullish / 2 bearish / 1 neutral, conflicted. A conflicted state means bullish and bearish rules are active on the same name at once — the technical evidence is not pointing one way, and a decision taken on it carries more timing risk. The most decision-relevant rule on CAVA is Death Cross Active (bearish, long horizon). On DRI it is Golden Cross Active (bullish, long horizon).
Compare CAVA and DRI with others
Continue your research
This page answers which of the two. These answer the questions on either side of it.
How this comparison is scored
The Algovestiq AIQ Score composites four factors — Quality, Value, Momentum and Risk, each carrying a fixed weight. Sentiment is reported separately as SentimentPulse and is not folded into the composite. Scores refresh every trading day, and this page regenerates from the latest snapshot rather than being written once.
The verdict names a leader, states how broadly six independent evidence groups agree, and rates how durable that conclusion is given the score gap, its recent trajectory and the current signal state on both names.
How to use side-by-side comparison →This comparison is informational and educational, not investment advice. AIQ scores update daily; re-check after earnings, guidance or macro data that materially changes either name’s factor profile.