Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) CFO Matthew Eliot Clark Sells 23,832 Shares of Stock

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) CFO Matthew Clark sold 23,832 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 45,109 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,111,300.79. This trade represents a 34.57% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link.

Cheesecake Factory Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CAKE opened at $112.64 on Friday. The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated has a twelve month low of $43.07 and a twelve month high of $118.63. The firm has a market cap of $5.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.69, a PEG ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a 50 day moving average of $108.02 and a 200 day moving average of $79.68. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last released its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. Cheesecake Factory had a return on equity of 46.95% and a net margin of 5.20%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.66 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated will post 4.70 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheesecake Factory Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Trading of Cheesecake Factory

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Money Concepts Capital Corp raised its position in Cheesecake Factory by 3.8% during the first quarter. Money Concepts Capital Corp now owns 5,802 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $318,000 after acquiring an additional 210 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Cheesecake Factory by 28.2% during the third quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 1,146 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $121,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in Cheesecake Factory during the third quarter valued at $35,000. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory in the third quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, NFSG Corp grew its position in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 115.8% in the first quarter. NFSG Corp now owns 682 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.48% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company set a $116.00 price objective on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a research report on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $80.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, October 15th. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $100.00 target price on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Argus lifted their target price on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $72.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Cheesecake Factory has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $95.47.

Trending Headlines about Cheesecake Factory

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

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter results showed solid momentum: total revenue exceeded $1.033 billion, and flagship restaurant guest traffic rose 9.5%. The company also surpassed consensus estimates for both revenue and earnings, suggesting continued customer demand. Cheesecake Factory: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Freedom Capital upgraded CAKE from “hold” to “strong-buy,” providing a bullish counterpoint to the day’s more cautious research. Freedom Capital analyst action
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced an opening date for a new location at West County Mall, indicating continued unit expansion, although the financial impact is likely limited in the near term. Cheesecake Factory sets opening date
• Neutral Sentiment: Barack Obama’s repeated Cheesecake Factory references have generated substantial media attention and may increase brand visibility, but the political dispute does not appear to change the company’s earnings outlook or operations. Seth Meyers praises Obama
• Neutral Sentiment: Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating, signaling that the firm sees limited near-term outperformance despite CAKE’s strong operating results. Stephens reaffirms Equal Weight rating
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded CAKE from “strong-buy” to “hold.” The stock also crossed below its 50-day moving average following the downgrade, reinforcing near-term technical and valuation concerns. Cheesecake Factory stock crosses below 50-day moving average

Cheesecake Factory Company Profile

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated is a restaurant company best known for The Cheesecake Factory, a full-service casual dining brand offering an extensive menu of American and international-inspired dishes, along with a broad selection of cheesecakes and other desserts. The company also operates North Italia, an Italian restaurant concept, and owns Fox Restaurant Concepts, which develops and operates additional restaurant brands, including Flower Child and Culinary Dropout.

The company was founded by David Overton, who opened the first Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills, California, in 1978 after his parents began a cheesecake business.