Should You be Optimistic on Shake Shack’s (SHAK) Growth?

Carillon Tower Advisers, an investment management company, released its “Carillon Eagle Small Cap Growth Fund” first quarter 2025 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. Small-cap stocks experienced a significant drop in Q1, with the Russell 2000 Growth Index (down 11.12%) trailing the Russell 2000 Value Index (down 7.74%). In the Russell 2000 Growth Index, real estate, which increased by 1.76%, outperformed all sectors both absolutely and relatively. The only other sector delivering positive returns was consumer staples, which rose by 0.67%. In addition, please check the fund’s top five holdings to know its best picks in 2025.

In its first-quarter 2025 investor letter, Carillon Eagle Small Cap Growth Fund highlighted stocks such as Shake Shack Inc. (NYSE:SHAK). Shake Shack Inc. (NYSE:SHAK) owns, operates, and licenses Shake Shack restaurants. The one-month return of Shake Shack Inc. (NYSE:SHAK) was 31.17%, and its shares gained 20.62% of their value over the last 52 weeks. On May 23, 2025, Shake Shack Inc. (NYSE:SHAK) stock closed at $117.62 per share with a market capitalization of $5.018 billion.

Carillon Eagle Small Cap Growth Fund stated the following regarding Shake Shack Inc. (NYSE:SHAK) in its Q1 2025 investor letter:

“Shake Shack Inc. (NYSE:SHAK) is a fast-casual restaurant chain offering burgers, hot dogs, crinkle-cut fries, chicken dishes, milkshakes, and other beverages. The stock lagged during the period due to slightly disappointing 3-year margin guidance and a choppy first quarter in sales for the restaurant industry overall. Although investors were disappointed in the 3-year targets outlined during January’s ICR Conference, the targets seemed conservative in our view and the company highlighted potential for future growth against a challenging consumer backdrop. We remain optimistic about the company’s ability to grow units, comparable sales, and margins over the next few years.”

Jim Cramer Is Cautious on Shake Shack Inc. (SHAK) After a Disappointing Quarter – Wait and See!

A cook in a busy kitchen preparing a delicious cooking of burgers and fries.

Shake Shack Inc. (NYSE:SHAK) is not on our list of 30 Most Popular Stocks Among Hedge Funds. As per our database, 39 hedge fund portfolios held Shake Shack Inc. (NYSE:SHAK) at the end of the first quarter, which was 43 in the previous quarter. In the first quarter of 2025, Shake Shack Inc. (NYSE:SHAK) reported revenue of $320.9 million, representing an increase of 10.5% year-over-year. While we acknowledge the potential of Shake Shack Inc. (NYSE:SHAK) as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is as promising as NVIDIA but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the undervalued AI stock set for massive gains.

In another article, we covered Shake Shack Inc. (NYSE:SHAK) and shared the list of best restaurant stocks to buy according to hedge funds. In addition, please check out our hedge fund investor letters Q1 2025 page for more investor letters from hedge funds and other leading investors.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.