Kura Sushi USA (NASDAQ:KRUS) Upgraded at Zacks Research

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Kura Sushi USA (NASDAQ:KRUS) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. DA Davidson reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $90.00 target price on shares of Kura Sushi USA in a research report on Monday. Loop Capital set a $70.00 target price on Kura Sushi USA in a research report on Thursday, January 8th. Piper Sandler lifted their target price on Kura Sushi USA from $59.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, January 16th. Wall Street Zen cut Kura Sushi USA from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, January 10th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Kura Sushi USA from $65.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $77.00.

Kura Sushi USA Stock Down 3.1%

KRUS stock opened at $58.16 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $704.32 million, a PE ratio of -363.50 and a beta of 1.65. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $61.12. Kura Sushi USA has a 52 week low of $42.62 and a 52 week high of $95.98.

Kura Sushi USA (NASDAQ:KRUS) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 7th. The company reported ($0.23) EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.17) by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $73.46 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $72.98 million. Kura Sushi USA had a negative net margin of 0.63% and a negative return on equity of 0.12%. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.08) EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that Kura Sushi USA will post 0.22 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Kura Sushi USA

In other Kura Sushi USA news, insider Hajime Uba sold 9,874 shares of Kura Sushi USA stock in a transaction dated Friday, January 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.93, for a total value of $720,110.82. Following the transaction, the insider owned 6,026 shares in the company, valued at $439,476.18. The trade was a 62.10% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 2.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Stephens Inc. AR grew its holdings in shares of Kura Sushi USA by 15.3% during the fourth quarter. Stephens Inc. AR now owns 839,308 shares of the company’s stock worth $43,921,000 after purchasing an additional 111,502 shares during the last quarter. Granahan Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kura Sushi USA by 17.3% during the fourth quarter. Granahan Investment Management LLC now owns 787,108 shares of the company’s stock worth $41,189,000 after purchasing an additional 116,096 shares during the last quarter. Divisadero Street Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Kura Sushi USA during the third quarter worth about $34,586,000. Balyasny Asset Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of Kura Sushi USA during the fourth quarter worth about $19,194,000. Finally, Ameriprise Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kura Sushi USA by 17.5% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 345,958 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,780,000 after purchasing an additional 51,574 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 65.49% of the company’s stock.

Key Kura Sushi USA News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kura Sushi USA this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Revenue guidance nudged above Street expectations for FY2026 ($333.0M–$335.0M vs. $331.4M consensus), supporting the view that top-line momentum continues. Kura Sushi USA, Inc. Q2 2026 Earnings Call Summary
• Positive Sentiment: Several analysts upgraded or raised targets: Zacks moved KRUS to Strong-Buy (and highlighted analyst upside), Citi raised its PT to $78 (neutral), Barclays lifted its PT to $68 (equal weight), and DA Davidson issued a Buy—these endorsements could attract buyers. Zacks Research upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Technical setup improved after a “golden cross” (50-day SMA crossed above 200-day SMA), which often draws momentum traders. Technical Outlook: Golden Cross
• Neutral Sentiment: Q2 earnings call/transcripts show recovering comps and margin progress (labor efficiencies), but commentary highlighted continued volatility in comps. Read the call for management’s operational color. Earnings Call Transcript (InsiderMonkey)
• Neutral Sentiment: Seeking Alpha and other summaries note improving restaurant-level margins and a possible beginning of a turnaround, but emphasize that progress is early and cyclicality remains. Seeking Alpha upgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Q2 EPS missed estimates (and EPS remains negative), and guidance tone was viewed as tepid by some investors — these drove early-session selling. Earnings Call Summary (Yahoo)
• Negative Sentiment: Management change: the CFO departure heightened uncertainty about near-term execution. The combination of the EPS miss, guidance tone and the CFO move contributed to a sharp intraday sell-off reported by media. Fool: CFO departure & guidance reaction
• Negative Sentiment: Balance-sheet constraints: commentary flagged limited cash (about $26M) which could restrict expansion and limit flexibility — a concern for growth investors. Seeking Alpha: cash & expansion concerns

About Kura Sushi USA

Kura Sushi USA, Inc operates Japanese‐style revolving sushi restaurants across the United States. The company’s concept centers on delivering a modern sushi dining experience by combining fresh ingredients with automated conveyer belt and plate‐return systems. Guests can choose from a broad menu that includes nigiri, sashimi, maki rolls, tempura, udon noodles and chef‐inspired seasonal dishes, all served directly from the conveyor belt or ordered on tabletop touchscreens.

Each restaurant integrates patented technology to ensure food quality and operational efficiency.