Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) Cut to Equal Weight at Stephens

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) was downgraded by investment analysts at Stephens from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating in a note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They presently have a $65.00 target price on the restaurant operator’s stock. Stephens’ target price points to a potential upside of 1.45% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on CAKE. Oppenheimer set a $70.00 price target on Cheesecake Factory in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Cheesecake Factory from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 12th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Cheesecake Factory from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $70.00 target price on Cheesecake Factory and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $60.18.

Cheesecake Factory Stock Performance

NASDAQ CAKE opened at $64.07 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.42, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.55, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $56.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $55.05. Cheesecake Factory has a 1 year low of $42.69 and a 1 year high of $69.70.

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

Institutional Trading of Cheesecake Factory

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of CAKE. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in Cheesecake Factory by 4.6% during the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 28,742 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,399,000 after purchasing an additional 1,268 shares during the period. Woodline Partners LP increased its holdings in Cheesecake Factory by 30.9% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 92,664 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $4,509,000 after buying an additional 21,887 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in Cheesecake Factory by 8.5% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 109,800 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,343,000 after buying an additional 8,592 shares during the period. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheesecake Factory in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $246,000. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 123.2% during the 2nd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 15,067 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $944,000 after acquiring an additional 8,317 shares during the period. 94.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

More Cheesecake Factory News

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

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.