The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated $CAKE Stock: Gagnon Securities LLC Reduces Position

Gagnon Securities LLC reduced its stake in shares of The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 215,886 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 5,906 shares during the quarter. Cheesecake Factory accounts for approximately 3.9% of Gagnon Securities LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Gagnon Securities LLC’s holdings in Cheesecake Factory were worth $22,720,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of CAKE. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Cheesecake Factory in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Allworth Financial LP purchased a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the second quarter valued at approximately $36,000. NFSG Corp lifted its position in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 115.8% during the first quarter. NFSG Corp now owns 682 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the second quarter worth $57,000. 94.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Cheesecake Factory

In other news, CFO Matthew Clark sold 23,832 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.31, for a total transaction of $2,700,403.92. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 45,109 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,111,300.79. This trade represents a 34.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Alexander Cappello sold 425 shares of Cheesecake Factory stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.71, for a total value of $48,326.75. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,428 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $389,797.88. This trade represents a 11.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 29,154 shares of company stock worth $3,298,256. Company insiders own 8.00% of the company’s stock.

Cheesecake Factory Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:CAKE opened at $109.67 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $107.80 and a 200 day simple moving average of $81.73. The firm has a market cap of $5.47 billion, a PE ratio of 25.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.14. The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated has a 12-month low of $43.07 and a 12-month high of $118.63.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The restaurant operator reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.06. Cheesecake Factory had a net margin of 5.20% and a return on equity of 44.53%. The firm had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated will post 4.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheesecake Factory Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 10th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 10th. Cheesecake Factory’s dividend payout ratio is 28.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on CAKE shares. Mizuho upped their target price on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $93.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded shares of Cheesecake Factory from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $75.00 to $88.00 in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Argus boosted their price objective on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $72.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $101.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded Cheesecake Factory from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $95.47.

Key Headlines Impacting Cheesecake Factory

Here are a few of the latest headlines about CAKE:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its estimates across several upcoming quarters. It increased its FY2026 EPS forecast from $4.36 to $4.69, close to the cited $4.68 consensus, and its FY2028 forecast from $5.29 to $5.56. The analyst also raised estimates for multiple 2027 and 2028 quarters, signaling a more favorable earnings outlook. MarketBeat CAKE coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: A new Cheesecake Factory location opened at West County Mall, adding a local expansion update, though the report did not detail its expected financial impact. New location report
• Negative Sentiment: A Zacks analysis asks whether the company can sustain its reported 15.2% comparable-sales growth into 2027. Strong traffic and rewards momentum are positives, but tougher comparisons and the ability to generate repeat visits could make growth harder to maintain. Zacks comparable-sales analysis

About Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ: CAKE) is a restaurant company that operates and licenses restaurants under several brands. Its portfolio includes The Cheesecake Factory, North Italia and restaurants developed by Fox Restaurant Concepts, such as Flower Child and Culinary Dropout. The company’s restaurants serve a range of dishes, including appetizers, entrees and desserts. Its bakery division produces cheesecakes and other baked goods for its restaurants and for foodservice and retail customers.