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Side-by-side financial comparison of CRACKER BARREL OLD COUNTRY STORE, INC (CBRL) and ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC (ECPG). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

CRACKER BARREL OLD COUNTRY STORE, INC is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($797.2M vs $473.6M, roughly 1.7× ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC). ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC runs the higher net margin — 16.2% vs -3.1%, a 19.3% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (78.3% vs -10.9%). ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC produced more free cash flow last quarter ($126.9M vs $-88.9M). Over the past eight quarters, ENCORE CAPITAL GROUP INC's revenue compounded faster (20.1% CAGR vs -2.4%).

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., doing business as Cracker Barrel, is an American chain of restaurant and gift stores with a Southern country theme. The company's headquarters are in Lebanon, Tennessee, where Cracker Barrel was founded by Dan Evins and Tommy Lowe in 1969. The chain's early locations were positioned near Interstate Highway exits in the Southeastern and Midwestern United States, but expanded across the country during the 1990s and 2000s. As of August 10, 2023, the compan...

Encore Capital Group, Inc. is a publicly traded debt buyer based in the United States. The company is headquartered in San Diego, and operates throughout the United States. The firm is a publicly traded NASDAQ Global Select company (ECPG), a component stock of the Russell 2000, the S&P SmallCap 600, and the Wilshire 4500.

CBRL vs ECPG — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
CBRL
CBRL
1.7× larger
CBRL
$797.2M
$473.6M
ECPG
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
ECPG
ECPG
+89.2% gap
ECPG
78.3%
-10.9%
CBRL
Higher net margin
ECPG
ECPG
19.3% more per $
ECPG
16.2%
-3.1%
CBRL
More free cash flow
ECPG
ECPG
$215.8M more FCF
ECPG
$126.9M
$-88.9M
CBRL
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
ECPG
ECPG
Annualised
ECPG
20.1%
-2.4%
CBRL

Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
CBRL
CBRL
ECPG
ECPG
Revenue
$797.2M
$473.6M
Net Profit
$-24.6M
$76.7M
Gross Margin
68.8%
Operating Margin
-4.1%
36.6%
Net Margin
-3.1%
16.2%
Revenue YoY
-10.9%
78.3%
Net Profit YoY
-235.7%
EPS (diluted)
$-1.10
$3.32

Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.

8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend

Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.

Revenue
CBRL
CBRL
ECPG
ECPG
Q4 25
$797.2M
$473.6M
Q3 25
$460.4M
Q2 25
$821.1M
$442.1M
Q1 25
$949.4M
$392.8M
Q4 24
$265.6M
Q3 24
$894.4M
$367.1M
Q2 24
$817.1M
$355.3M
Q1 24
$935.4M
$328.4M
Net Profit
CBRL
CBRL
ECPG
ECPG
Q4 25
$-24.6M
$76.7M
Q3 25
$74.7M
Q2 25
$12.6M
$58.7M
Q1 25
$22.2M
$46.8M
Q4 24
Q3 24
$18.1M
$30.6M
Q2 24
$-9.2M
$32.2M
Q1 24
$26.5M
$23.2M
Gross Margin
CBRL
CBRL
ECPG
ECPG
Q4 25
68.8%
Q3 25
Q2 25
69.9%
Q1 25
67.4%
Q4 24
Q3 24
69.6%
Q2 24
70.0%
Q1 24
66.3%
Operating Margin
CBRL
CBRL
ECPG
ECPG
Q4 25
-4.1%
36.6%
Q3 25
37.6%
Q2 25
1.8%
34.1%
Q1 25
3.1%
32.9%
Q4 24
Q3 24
2.5%
28.9%
Q2 24
-2.4%
28.7%
Q1 24
3.3%
25.5%
Net Margin
CBRL
CBRL
ECPG
ECPG
Q4 25
-3.1%
16.2%
Q3 25
16.2%
Q2 25
1.5%
13.3%
Q1 25
2.3%
11.9%
Q4 24
Q3 24
2.0%
8.3%
Q2 24
-1.1%
9.1%
Q1 24
2.8%
7.1%
EPS (diluted)
CBRL
CBRL
ECPG
ECPG
Q4 25
$-1.10
$3.32
Q3 25
$3.17
Q2 25
$0.56
$2.49
Q1 25
$0.99
$1.93
Q4 24
Q3 24
$0.80
$1.26
Q2 24
$-0.41
$1.34
Q1 24
$1.19
$0.95

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
CBRL
CBRL
ECPG
ECPG
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$8.9M
$156.8M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$4.0B
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$428.8M
$976.8M
Total Assets
$2.2B
$5.3B
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
4.13×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
CBRL
CBRL
ECPG
ECPG
Q4 25
$8.9M
$156.8M
Q3 25
$172.5M
Q2 25
$9.8M
$172.9M
Q1 25
$10.3M
$187.1M
Q4 24
$199.9M
Q3 24
$12.0M
$247.4M
Q2 24
$11.9M
$250.6M
Q1 24
$12.6M
$173.0M
Total Debt
CBRL
CBRL
ECPG
ECPG
Q4 25
$4.0B
Q3 25
Q2 25
Q1 25
Q4 24
$3.7B
Q3 24
Q2 24
Q1 24
Stockholders' Equity
CBRL
CBRL
ECPG
ECPG
Q4 25
$428.8M
$976.8M
Q3 25
$952.9M
Q2 25
$469.3M
$896.0M
Q1 25
$460.9M
$819.1M
Q4 24
$767.3M
Q3 24
$440.1M
$1.0B
Q2 24
$426.6M
$988.1M
Q1 24
$462.0M
$953.9M
Total Assets
CBRL
CBRL
ECPG
ECPG
Q4 25
$2.2B
$5.3B
Q3 25
$5.3B
Q2 25
$2.1B
$5.2B
Q1 25
$2.1B
$5.0B
Q4 24
$4.8B
Q3 24
$2.2B
$5.0B
Q2 24
$2.2B
$4.8B
Q1 24
$2.2B
$4.7B
Debt / Equity
CBRL
CBRL
ECPG
ECPG
Q4 25
4.13×
Q3 25
Q2 25
Q1 25
Q4 24
4.83×
Q3 24
Q2 24
Q1 24

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
CBRL
CBRL
ECPG
ECPG
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$-53.4M
$153.2M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$-88.9M
$126.9M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
-11.2%
26.8%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
4.5%
5.5%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
2.00×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$244.0M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
CBRL
CBRL
ECPG
ECPG
Q4 25
$-53.4M
$153.2M
Q3 25
$81.6M
Q2 25
$23.0M
$9.5M
Q1 25
$45.3M
Q4 24
$156.2M
Q3 24
$69.5M
$45.9M
Q2 24
$37.6M
$35.7M
Q1 24
$77.7M
$51.0M
Free Cash Flow
CBRL
CBRL
ECPG
ECPG
Q4 25
$-88.9M
$126.9M
Q3 25
$75.6M
Q2 25
$-13.6M
$3.2M
Q1 25
$38.3M
Q4 24
$127.2M
Q3 24
$22.1M
$39.7M
Q2 24
$8.2M
$28.3M
Q1 24
$50.9M
$44.1M
FCF Margin
CBRL
CBRL
ECPG
ECPG
Q4 25
-11.2%
26.8%
Q3 25
16.4%
Q2 25
-1.7%
0.7%
Q1 25
9.7%
Q4 24
47.9%
Q3 24
2.5%
10.8%
Q2 24
1.0%
8.0%
Q1 24
5.4%
13.4%
Capex Intensity
CBRL
CBRL
ECPG
ECPG
Q4 25
4.5%
5.5%
Q3 25
1.3%
Q2 25
4.5%
1.4%
Q1 25
1.8%
Q4 24
10.9%
Q3 24
5.3%
1.7%
Q2 24
3.6%
2.1%
Q1 24
2.9%
2.1%
Cash Conversion
CBRL
CBRL
ECPG
ECPG
Q4 25
2.00×
Q3 25
1.09×
Q2 25
1.83×
0.16×
Q1 25
0.97×
Q4 24
Q3 24
3.83×
1.50×
Q2 24
1.11×
Q1 24
2.93×
2.19×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

CBRL
CBRL

Restaurant$650.6M82%
Retail$146.6M18%

ECPG
ECPG

Segment breakdown not available.

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