Selected Stock Price Target News — August 24, 2026

Three names carried the analyst tape on Monday. Zoom Communications ($ZM) drew two reiterations a day before it reports. Darden Restaurants ($DRI) picked up an upgrade. Chipotle Mexican Grill ($CMG) was cut to Neutral. One analyst made both restaurant calls. He made them in opposite directions, inside the same morning.

Zoom’s Second Quarter Report Lands Tuesday, So Two Desks Restated Their Targets

Zoom sells video meetings, cloud phone service and contact center software to businesses. Enterprise customers carry most of the revenue. First quarter revenue reached $1.239 billion, up 5.5 percent from a year earlier. Non-GAAP diluted earnings came to $1.55 a share. Reported earnings came to $1.42. Enterprise revenue alone was $755.7 million, a gain of 7.2 percent. Zoom then guided full year revenue to $5.080 billion to $5.090 billion. Non-GAAP earnings were guided to $5.96 to $6.00 a share.

The company reports second quarter results on Tuesday, after the close. Both of today’s notes were written into that event.

Zoom’s Stock Price Target News Today

Allan Verkhovski of BTIG reiterated Buy on Zoom and kept his price target at $125. He restated that position today. Verkhovski has held Buy since February 2026. His previous target on the stock was $100.

Thomas Blakey of Cantor Fitzgerald reiterated Neutral and left his target at $104. He set that view out today. Blakey has been at Hold since September 2025, and he was previously at $87.

So two desks approached the same print and finished $21 a share apart.

But the records behind those two numbers differ sharply. Verkhovski has reached 4 of his last 5 targets on Zoom, a rate of 80 percent. His targets have taken 49 days on average. Blakey has reached 3 of 3, and his have taken 19 days. Across all 22 analysts covering Zoom, 73.27 percent of targets have been met. The average time to get there is 179.68 days.

Zoom’s average target across the group sits at $110.28. The stock closed the prior session at $107.43. So Verkhovski’s $125 sits above that average, while Blakey’s $104 sits below it. Still, neither is the highest number on the board. Catharine Trebnick of Rosenblatt carries $130, which she set on 20 August.

The ratings split on Zoom runs 60.32 percent Buy and 34.92 percent Hold. Sell ratings account for 4.76 percent. Its activity chart holds 472 price targets and 403 ratings.

Darden Revenue Growth Of 13.7 Percent Draws An Upgrade After Three Years At Neutral

Darden runs Olive Garden, LongHorn Steakhouse, Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen and Yard House. So its business is casual dining restaurants that it owns and operates directly. Fourth quarter revenue came in at $3.72 billion, up 13.7 percent from a year earlier. Same-restaurant sales rose 4.6 percent. Adjusted diluted earnings per share from continuing operations were $3.66. Reported earnings were $3.54. Darden then guided fiscal 2027 revenue to $13.60 billion to $13.75 billion. Earnings were guided to $11.10 to $11.35 a share.

Darden’s Stock Price Target News Today

Chris O’Cull of Baird upgraded Darden to Outperform from Neutral. He also lifted the price target from $220 to $250. Both moves landed today. In a note published Monday, O’Cull called the stock a core casual dining holding. He cited reliable top-line drivers and a durable growth algorithm.

He had sat at Neutral on the name since March 2023.

Put his record next to the call. O’Cull has met 71.65 percent of his price targets across 997 targets and ratings on 35 stocks. He takes 193 days on average to get there. Darden’s covering analysts as a group run higher, at 87.06 percent. Still, they take far longer at 412.33 days.

His new $250 lands above the group average of $228.16. It also sits above every other target named here. John Staszak of Argus holds Buy at $245, having reached 6 of his last 7 targets. Peter Saleh of BTIG carries Buy at $235, at 15 of 20. Brian Mullan of Piper Sandler sits lowest of those three at $212, with 18 of 21 met. Still, the Street high on Darden is $276, a level O’Cull’s number does not reach.

Darden closed the prior session at $221.60. In total, 26 analysts cover it. The ratings split runs 67.53 percent Buy and 32.47 percent Hold. Its activity chart holds 973 price targets and 721 ratings.

Chipotle Margin Falls To 15.7 Percent And The Same Analyst Cuts It To Neutral

Chipotle operates fast casual restaurants built around a single Mexican menu. Its United States restaurants are company operated. Second quarter revenue was $3.348 billion, a rise of 9.3 percent. Comparable restaurant sales grew 2.2 percent. Adjusted diluted earnings per share were $0.33, with $0.32 reported. Operating margin then narrowed to 15.7 percent from 18.2 percent a year earlier.

Chipotle’s Stock Price Target News Today

O’Cull downgraded Chipotle to Neutral from Outperform. He also took his target down from $44 to $40. He made that call today, in the same note that carried the Darden upgrade. His stated reason was that Chipotle may need to spend more to grow less.

Chipotle’s covering analysts have met 70.32 percent of their targets, averaging 170.7 days. The group average target is $43.88, against a prior close of $36.90. O’Cull’s new $40 therefore sits below that average. Jim Salera of Stephens holds the same $40 at Hold, with 11 of 17 targets met. Saleh carries Buy at $45, having met 19 of 27. Gregory Francfort of Guggenheim sits lowest of those named at $36. He has met all 12 of his targets, and his have taken 29 days on average.

The full range on Chipotle runs from $35 to $58. Its ratings split runs 70.73 percent Buy and 29.27 percent Hold. The activity chart holds 1,025 price targets and 813 ratings. Coverage stands at 26 analysts.

That closes today’s price target news. Two of the three moves came from one desk, while the third pair was a disagreement about a company reporting in a day. The analyst price target dataset holds the underlying record for every name above.