Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) EVP Sells $335,398.68 in Stock

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) EVP Scarlett May sold 2,939 shares of Cheesecake Factory stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.12, for a total transaction of $335,398.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 15,302 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,746,264.24. This trade represents a 16.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Cheesecake Factory Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:CAKE traded down $0.48 during trading on Friday, reaching $112.64. 1,627,394 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,505,850. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $108.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $79.68. The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated has a 52-week low of $43.07 and a 52-week high of $118.63. 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 stock has a market cap of $5.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.04.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The restaurant operator reported $1.02 earnings per share 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 46.95%. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.66 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.9% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated will post 4.70 earnings per share 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 issued 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 dividend yield of 1.1%. Cheesecake Factory’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 32.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on CAKE. Wells Fargo & Company set a $116.00 price target on Cheesecake Factory in a report on Wednesday. William Blair reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a report on Thursday. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $105.00 to $120.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, October 22nd. Zacks Research lowered shares of Cheesecake Factory from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group cut Cheesecake Factory from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their price target for the company from $75.00 to $88.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One equities research 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 given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $95.47.

Institutional Trading of Cheesecake Factory

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Carolina Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,000. Allworth Financial LP purchased a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the second quarter worth about $36,000. NFSG Corp raised its stake in Cheesecake Factory by 115.8% during the 1st 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. Finally, Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the second quarter valued at approximately $57,000. 94.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Cheesecake Factory News Roundup

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.