Wells Fargo & Company Boosts Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) Price Target to $60.00

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) had its target price boosted by research analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $55.00 to $60.00 in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price target would suggest a potential downside of 6.35% from the company’s current price.

Several other analysts have also recently issued reports on CAKE. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Cheesecake Factory from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $70.00 price objective on Cheesecake Factory and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Robert W. Baird set a $57.00 price objective on Cheesecake Factory in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Bank of America dropped their target price on Cheesecake Factory from $61.00 to $56.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Mizuho increased their price target on Cheesecake Factory from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Cheesecake Factory presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.18.

Cheesecake Factory Stock Up 2.4%

NASDAQ CAKE opened at $64.07 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.55. The company has a market capitalization of $3.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.02. Cheesecake Factory has a one year low of $42.69 and a one year high of $69.70. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $56.50 and a 200-day moving average price of $55.05.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.02. Cheesecake Factory had a net margin of 4.33% and a return on equity of 46.35%. The company had revenue of $961.56 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $949.03 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.04 earnings per share. Cheesecake Factory’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Cheesecake Factory will post 3.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheesecake Factory

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAKE. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its position in Cheesecake Factory by 226.5% during the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 604 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 661.7% during the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 716 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 622 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in Cheesecake Factory by 39.2% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 632 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $40,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in Cheesecake Factory by 973.2% in the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 880 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 798 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arax Advisory Partners bought a new position in Cheesecake Factory in the fourth quarter worth about $50,000. Institutional investors own 94.48% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Cheesecake Factory

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

• Positive Sentiment: Company raised its quarterly dividend to $0.30 (an ~11.1% increase) and boosted share‑repurchase authorization — a shareholder‑friendly move that increases cash return visibility. Boosts Dividend and Buyback Authorization
• Positive Sentiment: Management guided FY‑2026 revenue toward ~$3.9B and Q1 revenue to $955–$970M (roughly in line to slightly above Street revenue expectations), which supports top‑line stability. The Cheesecake Factory Reports Results for Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2025
• Positive Sentiment: Reported quarterly revenue (~$961.6M) topped consensus and headline EPS beat estimates (company reported $1.00 EPS vs. $0.98 consensus on several reports), giving some fundamental support despite mixed underlying metrics. Q4 Earnings and Revenues Top Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Independent analyst support: William Blair reaffirmed a Buy, citing resilient fundamentals and margin strength — a vote of confidence that can help underpin the rally. Buy Rating Maintained
• Positive Sentiment: Company signaled growth plans (up to ~26 new units in 2026) alongside the dividend/buyback moves — expansion plus capital returns can be viewed positively by growth/value investors. Growth & Capital Return Signal
• Neutral Sentiment: Wells Fargo maintained a Hold, noting balanced risk/reward given the company’s premium valuation and mixed traffic trends — a reminder that upside may be limited absent sustained sales improvement. Hold Rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Management will present at the Raymond James institutional conference (March 3) and released full earnings materials/transcript, giving investors more access to management tone and outlook. Conference Presentation
• Negative Sentiment: Comparable‑sales at the namesake Cheesecake Factory brand declined and operating profit/net income fell year‑over‑year, which pressured the stock right after the print as investors focused on traffic and margin pressures. Comparable Sales Decline
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple outlets highlighted lower quarterly profit and a “challenging” operating environment; those fundamentals-driven concerns explain why some investors sold shares despite the buyback/dividend news. Challenging Operating Environment
• Negative Sentiment: Viral social media content about kitchen activity got attention and could be a short‑term reputational headwind (small but worth monitoring). Viral Video

About Cheesecake Factory

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.