The takeaway
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store shows a pronounced seasonal pattern over 10 years of data — strongest in January (+5.9%) and softest in September (−6.8%).
Right now
In July, the stock has risen 50% of years, averaging +0.7%, roughly 1.4 pts behind the S&P 500.
The full picture
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store's most dependable month has been January, higher in 7 of 10 years; September has been its least reliable, up just 20% of the time.
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Month by month
The stock's clearest edge over the S&P 500 lands in January (+6.1 pts); it has trailed the market most in September (−6.7 pts).
“vs S&P” is Cracker Barrel Old Country Store’s average for a month minus the S&P 500’s average for that same month — isolating Cracker Barrel Old Country Store’s own seasonal edge from broad market drift.
Reality check
Over the last 5 years, January has closed higher 80% of the time versus 70% across the last 10 years — the pattern is strengthening.
Figures are the typical (median) January return and how often it rose — the last 5 years versus the last 10(the heatmap’s default window). This verdict stays anchored to that 10-year window even if you zoom the chart, so it never disagrees with the badges above.
In plain English
Strip the year back and a single month does the heavy lifting: January, up in 7 of 10 Januaries while the other eleven tend to blur together.
Its average (+5.9%) and median (+5.9%) land within a hair of each other — the tell of steady, year-after-year gains rather than one outlier doing the work. It is among its calmest months, too, its returns swinging least from year to year (a 8.5% spread). Crucially, the gain is the stock's own rather than a rising tide's: January has cleared the S&P 500 by +6.1 points above the index. That consistency sets it apart from the field, where the average stock manages January only about 53% of the time.
A few other months pull their weight: March, October, and November have also closed higher more often than not. The weaker half of the year is plainer: September has been the soft spot — the weakest of 5 months that average a loss (−6.8%), and the edge isn't year-round — the stock has trailed the S&P 500 in September, December, and March. Its roughest month on record was a −44.3% March in 2020 — a reminder of how hard even a seasonal name can fall.
If anything it has sharpened recently — the last five Januaries run ahead of the earlier years.
The takeaway is less about when to buy than what to expect: January aside, the stock's months offer little reliable tilt.
Short answers on the stock's best month (January), its worst (September), and whether it really trades seasonally.
Yes, to a pronounced degree. Since 2016 its best month (January, +5.9%) has run well ahead of its worst (September, −6.8%) — the heatmap above shows how steady that gap has been year to year.
January has been the strongest, averaging +5.9% and closing higher in 7 of 10 years since 2016.
It's the weakest, averaging −6.8% — historically a soft spot, though it still varies from year to year.
Explore
These names have the strongest July track records on record — a starting point for comparison.
Before you trade