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Bringing practical business and technical intelligence to today's structured cabling professionals.

For more than 30 years, Cabling Installation & Maintenance has provided useful, practical information to professionals responsible for the specification, design, installation and management of structured cabling systems serving enterprise, data center and other environments. These professionals are challenged to stay informed of constantly evolving standards, system-design and installation approaches, product and system capabilities, technologies, as well as applications that rely on high-performance structured cabling systems. Our editors synthesize these complex issues into multiple information products. This portfolio of information products provides concrete detail that improves the efficiency of day-to-day operations, and equips cabling professionals with the perspective that enables strategic planning for networks’ optimum long-term performance.

Throughout our annual magazine, weekly email newsletters and 24/7/365 website, Cabling Installation & Maintenance digs into the essential topics our audience focuses on:

  • Design, Installation and Testing: We explain the bottom-up design of cabling systems, from case histories of actual projects to solutions for specific problems or aspects of the design process. We also look at specific installations using a case-history approach to highlight challenging problems, solutions and unique features. Additionally, we examine evolving test-and-measurement technologies and techniques designed to address the standards-governed and practical-use performance requirements of cabling systems.
  • Technology: We evaluate product innovations and technology trends as they impact a particular product class through interviews with manufacturers, installers and users, as well as contributed articles from subject-matter experts.
  • Data Center: Cabling Installation & Maintenance takes an in-depth look at design and installation workmanship issues as well as the unique technology being deployed specifically for data centers.
  • Physical Security: Focusing on the areas in which security and IT—and the infrastructure for both—interlock and overlap, we pay specific attention to Internet Protocol’s influence over the development of security applications.
  • Standards: Tracking the activities of North American and international standards-making organizations, we provide updates on specifications that are in-progress, looking forward to how they will affect cabling-system design and installation. We also produce articles explaining the practical aspects of designing and installing cabling systems in accordance with the specifications of established standards.

CAVA Group Stock: Time to Take the Dip on This Investment Trip?

20230725_Cava_FA23_Shot10_5046 1_forLynne.jpg Source: CAVA Brand Assets Creator: Scott Semler

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Shares of CAVA Group Inc. (NYSE: CAVA) failed to celebrate its impressive 21.2% year-over-year (YOY) comparable sales (comps) growth reported in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Instead, investors panicked over its 2-cent earnings per share (EPS) miss and lowered comp sales estimates to 13.4% for 2025.

Despite having comps that blew away build-your-own-bowl (BYOB) retail/wholesale sector peers like Sweetgreen Inc. (NYSE: SG), which posted 4% comps, and Chipotle Mexican Grille Inc. (NYSE: CMG), which posted 5.4% comps combined,

CAVA shares still managed to sink to a low of $73.31 in the following days. However, after being added to the S&P Midcap 400 index, sentiment may be turning.

CAVA Doesn’t Need a New Strategy

If one were to look solely at CAVA’s stock chart after its Q4 2024 earnings release, one would think the company was struggling and needed a turnaround strategy to recover and mend the negative sentiment. Nothing could be farther from the truth. CAVA is operating at the top of its game, firing on all pistons; in Q4, its revenues rose 28.3% YOY to $227.4 million, beating consensus estimates by nearly $4 million. Their net income tripled to $6.5 million, up from $2 million in the prior year.

Adjusted earnings before interest taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) jumped 63% YOY to $25.1 million, up from $15.7 million the previous year. Their restaurant opened just 18.8% YOY, with 15 new stores for 367 total locations. Their restaurant-level margins rose 50 bps to 22.4%. All these achievements failed to impress investors as they focused on the lower comps guidance for 2025 to 13.4%.

While this seems like a big drop for Q4 comps of 21.2%, the reality is that full-year 2024 comps were 13.4%. In essence, this implies no comp sales growth. On top of that, CAVA’s P/E, even at the shrunken price of $85.85, is still an eye-watering 186.41 as of March 28, 2025. So, who’s buying shares? Institutions, ETFs and mutual funds will have to buy more.

S&P 400 Addition Is a Turning Point and Mandate for Index Funds

The announcement that CAVA is entering the S&P 500 Midcap index automatically forces S&P 500 Midcap ETFs and mutual funds to acquire shares. CAVA stock is already included in the Russell 2000 and the Russell 1000 indexes. Based on the S&P 400 Midcap allocations, index funds and ETFs would theoretically have to purchase between 4.5 million to 6.8 million shares of CAVA.

This estimated range is based on a $10.22 billion market cap and 0.41% weighting in the $2.5 trillion S&P Midcap 400 index, which is a market cap-weighted index. The weighting percent is based on CAVA’s market cap divided by the total index market cap.

JPMorgan Upgrades CAVA to Overweight

[content-module:CompanyOverview|NYSE: CAVA]

On March 20, 2025, JPMorgan noted some investment opportunities in the quick-service restaurant (QSR) segment. CAVA Group stood out, causing analysts to upgrade the stock to Overweight from Neutral. JPMorgan analysts John Ivankoe and Rahul Krotthapalli noted that "CAVA has significant US white space for expansion from its already multi-market success, is generating FCF unusually early, and has considerable near-term operational and brand initiatives to drive both sales and profits.”

The team pointed out that technology investments further amplify CAVA's growth trajectory by optimizing its labor force, streamlining restaurant operations, and offering a different kind of loyalty program. The "awareness gap" is being narrowed with the pace of new store openings compared to peers like Chipotle. They also complimented the new seafood offerings included in the new menu.

Consumers Are Feeling the Pinch

The Conference Board compiled data showing that the consumer expectation index dropped from 9.3 to 72.9, the lowest level since August 2021 and the first time since June 2024 that it fell below the 80 threshold.

The NFIB Small Business Optimism index fell 2.1% to 100.7%, indicating business uncertainty hitting the second-highest level in 50 years. CAVA is swimming upstream, but its latest earnings report didn’t show any signs of consumers being influenced by prices.

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