Why Shake Shack Stock Popped Today
Key Points
Shake Shack's sales and profits are growing at a solid pace.
Management sees plenty of room for expansion in the coming years.
- 10 stocks we like better than Shake Shack ›
Shares of Shake Shack (NYSE: SHAK) surged on Thursday after the burger chain reported strong quarterly growth metrics.
As of 2:02 p.m. EST, Shake Shack's stock price was up over 10%.
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Solid Q4 results
Shake Shack's fourth-quarter revenue jumped 22% year over year to $400.5 million. Growth was fueled by restaurant openings and rising sales at its established stores.
The purveyor of made-to-order Angus beef burgers, crinkle-cut fries, hot dogs, and hand-spun milk shakes opened 15 company-operated Shacks and 17 licensed stores during the fourth quarter.
For the full year, Shake Shack opened 45 company-operated restaurants and 40 licensed locations. It ended 2025 with a total of more than 670 stores.
Same-Shack sales, which measure revenue at company-operated stores open for at least two years, rose 2.1%. That marked the company's 20th straight quarter of positive same-store sales growth.
All told, Shake Shack's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) leaped 20% to $56 million.
A long runway for further expansion
Looking ahead to 2026, management expects to open as many as 60 company-operated stores and 45 licensed locations. In turn, Shake Shack sees its revenue and adjusted EBITDA rising to roughly $1.7 billion and $241 million, respectively, up from $1.4 billion and $210 million in 2025.
"We are entering 2026 with confidence, guided by a clear strategy centered on profitable revenue growth, margin expansion, and strategic investments in our brand and infrastructure," CEO Rob Lynch said during a conference call with analysts.
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Joe Tenebruso has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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