Kura Sushi USA

KRUS

Market cap $734M

When you think of fast-growing restaurant chain stocks, you probably think of coffee sensation Dutch Bros or chicken wing specialist Wingstop. It's true that these brands have been expanding rapidly.

IRVINE, Calif., Sept. 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kura Sushi USA, Inc. (“Kura Sushi” or the “Company”), (NASDAQ: KRUS), a technology-enabled Japanese restaurant concept, today announced that it will participate in the following investor conferences:

Kura Sushi (KRUS) might move higher on growing optimism about its earnings prospects, which is reflected by its upgrade to a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Kura Sushi delivered a strong Q3 double beat, with 17% revenue growth and a surprise profit, validating my earlier bullish call near $50 support. The company is executing well on its debt-free, high-growth model, expanding units over 20% year-over-year and managing costs despite macro headwinds. Same-store sales are still negative but improving sequentially, and new initiatives plus a robust IP calendar should drive further gains into FY 2026.

Kura Sushi USA, Inc. KRUS reported better-than-expected third-quarter financial results and raised its FY25 sales guidance on Tuesday.

Kura Sushi USA, Inc. (NASDAQ:KRUS ) Q3 2025 Earnings Conference Call July 8, 2025 5:00 PM ET Company Participants Benjamin Porten - Corporate Participant SVP of Investor Relations & System Development - Corporate Participant Hajime Uba - Chairman, President & CEO Jeffrey J. Uttz - CFO & Treasurer Conference Call Participants George Arthur Kelly - ROTH Capital Partners, LLC, Research Division James Jon Sanderson - Northcoast Research Partners, LLC Jeffrey Andrew Bernstein - Barclays Bank PLC, Research Division Zachary Ogden - TD Cowen, Research Division Jeremy Scott Hamblin - Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC, Research Division Jon Michael Tower - Citigroup Inc., Research Division Mark Eric Smith - Lake Street Capital Markets, LLC, Research Division Matthew James Curtis - William Blair & Company L.L.C.

Kura Sushi (KRUS) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.05 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $0.02 per share. This compares to break-even earnings per share a year ago.

Kura Sushi USA, Inc. has continued to expand rapidly. The company eyes 14 new openings in FY2025. Performance indicators suggest underlying weakness. Kura Sushi's comparable restaurant sales have declined beyond peers', and profitability remains thin. The current stock valuation makes the investment's risk-to-reward unattractive. I estimate a significant 53% downside to $41.9 in a base scenario.

Kura Sushi USA, Inc. KRUS will release earnings results for the third quarter, before the opening bell on Tuesday, July 8.

Tariffs and waning consumer confidence are significantly impacting Kura Sushi, leading to a downgrade to a sell rating due to supply chain uncertainties and declining same-store sales. Kura Sushi's Q2 results show a concerning trend, with a 5.3% y/y decline in comparable sales and an 8.5% drop in customer traffic. Despite maintaining its full-year sales target, Kura Sushi's ability to achieve 14% y/y growth in 2H appears unrealistic given current trends.