Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) Director Acquires 500 Shares of Stock

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) Director Edie Ames bought 500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 12th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $49.51 per share, with a total value of $24,755.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 13,000 shares in the company, valued at $643,630. This represents a 4.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Cheesecake Factory Stock Up 3.7%

CAKE stock traded up $4.23 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $117.29. The company had a trading volume of 2,179,129 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,943,661. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $84.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.59. The company has a market capitalization of $5.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.00. The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $43.07 and a fifty-two week high of $117.97.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The restaurant operator reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.26. The firm had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $999.54 million. Cheesecake Factory had a net margin of 4.61% and a return on equity of 43.97%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.16 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated will post 4.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheesecake Factory Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 11th. Cheesecake Factory’s payout ratio is 32.52%.

Key Cheesecake Factory News

Here are the key news stories impacting Cheesecake Factory this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Follow-through from the July earnings report appears to be the primary catalyst. Second-quarter revenue exceeded $1 billion, comparable sales rose 5.8%, traffic increased 2.7%, and restaurant-level margins reached approximately 20%—reportedly the company’s strongest level in about a decade. The dividend and share repurchases also reinforced confidence in cash generation. Cheesecake Factory Rises as Strong Q2 Results Continue to Support Shares
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its earnings forecasts across several periods, including Q3 2026 EPS to $0.84 from $0.70 and full-year 2027 EPS to $4.64 from $4.24. The firm reiterated a “Strong Buy” rating, signaling expectations for continued earnings momentum. Zacks Research earnings estimate changes
• Positive Sentiment: CAKE was named to PEOPLE’s 2026 Companies That Care list for the sixth consecutive year, ranking No. 30. The recognition may support employee retention and brand reputation, though its direct financial effect is limited. The Cheesecake Factory Named to the PEOPLE Companies That Care List
• Positive Sentiment: A Zacks industry article included CAKE among restaurant stocks positioned to benefit from steady industry sales growth, value-oriented dining demand, and chain adaptation to consumer preferences. 4 Stocks to Buy as Restaurant Industry Continues to Make Steady Growth

Institutional Trading of Cheesecake Factory

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 503,184 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $25,401,000 after acquiring an additional 33,959 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in Cheesecake Factory during the 1st quarter worth $1,111,000. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Cheesecake Factory by 127.7% in the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 60,513 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,055,000 after purchasing an additional 33,936 shares during the period. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory in the first quarter valued at about $719,000. Finally, California State Teachers Retirement System boosted its stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 24.9% during the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 55,576 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,043,000 after buying an additional 11,088 shares during the period. 94.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $53.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Cheesecake Factory from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, July 16th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on Cheesecake Factory from $65.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Cheesecake Factory from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $58.00 to $68.00 in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price objective on Cheesecake Factory from $66.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, ten have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $81.00.

Cheesecake Factory Company Profile

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) is an American restaurant company and distributor renowned for its full-service casual-dining concept and specialty cheesecakes. Headquartered in Calabasas Hills, California, the company operates more than 200 restaurants under The Cheesecake Factory® brand across the United States, Puerto Rico and select international markets. In addition to sit-down dining, Cheesecake Factory franchised locations offer catering and take-out services, while a separate manufacturing arm supplies branded cheesecakes and desserts to supermarkets, hotels and other foodservice operators.

The origins of the brand trace back to a small cheesecake bakery founded in Detroit in the 1940s.