Insider Buying: Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) Director Buys $24,755.00 in Stock

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) Director Edie Ames bought 500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 12th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $49.51 per share, for a total transaction of $24,755.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 13,000 shares in the company, valued at approximately $643,630. This represents a 4.00% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Cheesecake Factory Price Performance

Cheesecake Factory stock opened at $113.38 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $86.61 and its 200 day moving average price is $69.67. The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated has a 1 year low of $43.07 and a 1 year high of $118.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.73, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.59.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The restaurant operator reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.26. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion during 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 firm’s revenue was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.16 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated will post 4.47 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheesecake Factory Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 25th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. Cheesecake Factory’s payout ratio is currently 32.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheesecake Factory

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Cheesecake Factory by 7.2% in the 4th quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 503,184 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $25,401,000 after purchasing an additional 33,959 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory in the first quarter valued at approximately $1,111,000. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its position in shares of 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 in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 24.9% in the first quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 55,576 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,043,000 after purchasing an additional 11,088 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory in the first quarter valued at approximately $719,000. 94.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CAKE has been the topic of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $65.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Northcoast Research lowered Cheesecake Factory from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, June 15th. Stephens reissued a “positive” rating on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Cheesecake Factory from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Friday, July 31st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Cheesecake Factory from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. One investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $81.00.

More Cheesecake Factory News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Restaurant-stock momentum: Sit-down restaurant shares, including CAKE, Texas Roadhouse and BJ’s Restaurants, have posted median gains of roughly 62% over the past three months. The unusually wide performance gap versus fast-casual chains such as Chipotle, Wingstop and Shake Shack is reinforcing investor interest in the group. Restaurant stock momentum article
• Positive Sentiment: Higher earnings expectations: Zacks Research raised its Cheesecake Factory EPS estimates for fiscal 2026 and fiscal 2028, while maintaining a “Strong Buy” view. A separate report also indicated that an analyst increased the company’s third-quarter EPS estimate, suggesting improving expectations for near-term results. CAKE earnings estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Momentum-focused coverage: Zacks characterized CAKE as a potential momentum stock, supported by its recent share performance and better-than-expected second-quarter results. The company previously reported $1.44 in quarterly EPS on $1.03 billion of revenue, exceeding estimates and representing 7.7% year-over-year revenue growth. Zacks momentum analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Brand and operational publicity: The company was named to PEOPLE’s 2026 Companies That Care list for the sixth consecutive year, while coverage highlighted its menu innovation and Italian sister chain. These developments may support employee retention and brand awareness, but they have limited immediate earnings impact. Companies That Care announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling and valuation risk: President David Gordon reportedly sold about $3.5 million of CAKE shares, and director Edie Ames sold an additional 3,000 shares amid the rally. Ames also reported a smaller purchase, but the larger sales may temper enthusiasm. CAKE’s elevated valuation and analyst consensus “Hold” rating—with an average price target below recent trading levels—also suggest that substantial optimism may already be priced in. CAKE insider selling report

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.