Shares of Del Taco Restaurants Inc. fell after the company failed to meet its fourth quarter estimates.
Missing earnings estimates by a penny, Del Taco’s Q4 earnings stood at 18 cents per share. However, sales for the quarter came in at $157.3 million, beating estimates by $290,000. Further, the company issued weak earnings guidance. It expects full-year adjusted EPS somewhere between 47 cents to 52 cents, lower than the estimate of 58 cents.
The company’s CEO is optimistic, however, as he interprets fourth quarter sales to be the sixth year of consistent achievement in a row. He believes that this was made possible by a strong franchise comparable restaurant sales growth across a diverse 13 state footprint that supports Del Taco's brand portability, including 25 new system-wide openings across ten states during 2018 -- of which nearly half were franchised restaurants.
He further commented that amidst challenges like wage and operation inflation, the company has demonstrated effective cost management and pricing strategies to post a strong annual restaurant contribution margin that remained near or above 20% in each of the last four years.
Some of the key Q4 highlights include system-wide restaurant sales up 2.5%, average check growth of 3.6%, 7.2% revenue growth year-over-year, and 25 system wide openings.
Moving higher for three straight days is viewed as a bullish sign. Keep an eye on this stock for future growth. Considering data from situations where TACO advanced for three days, in 7 of 56 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 12%.
The Momentum Indicator moved above the 0 level on September 29, 2026. You may want to consider a long position or call options on TACO as a result. In 2 of 30 past instances where the momentum indicator moved above 0, the stock continued to climb. The odds of a continued upward trend are 7%.
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for TACO just turned positive on October 01, 2026. Looking at past instances where TACO's MACD turned positive, the stock continued to rise in 1 of 11 cases over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 9%.
The Stochastic Oscillator may be shifting from an upward trend to a downward trend. In 3 of 21 cases where TACO's Stochastic Oscillator exited the overbought zone, the price fell further within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 14%.
The 10-day moving average for TACO crossed bearishly below the 50-day moving average on September 21, 2026. This indicates that the trend has shifted lower and could be considered a sell signal. In 1 of 3 past instances when the 10-day crossed below the 50-day, the stock continued to move higher over the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 33%.
Following a 3-day decline, the stock is projected to fall further. Considering past instances where TACO declined for three days, the price rose further in 50 of 62 cases within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 32%.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of 14 (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is seriously undervalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: P/B Ratio (1.306) is normal, around the industry mean (132.155). P/E Ratio (31.682) is within average values for comparable stocks, (171.505). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (0.170) is also within normal values, averaging (15.932). TACO has a moderately high Dividend Yield (0.013) as compared to the industry average of (0.002). TACO's P/S Ratio (0.000) is very low in comparison to the industry average of (3.158).
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is 50 (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to consistent earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is 52 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating steady price growth. TACO’s price grows at a higher rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is 87 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating slightly better than average sales and a considerably profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is 100 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating that the returns do not compensate for the risks. TACO’s unstable profits reported over time resulted in significant Drawdowns within these last five years. A stable profit reduces stock drawdown and volatility. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 99, placing this stock worse than average.
The average fundamental analysis ratings, where 1 is best and 100 is worst, are as follows
a chain of fast food restaurants
Industry FinancialConglomerates