Alexander Cappello Sells 2,095 Shares of Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) Stock

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) Director Alexander Cappello sold 2,095 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, July 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $101.50, for a total value of $212,642.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,076 shares in the company, valued at approximately $413,714. This trade represents a 33.95% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Cheesecake Factory Stock Up 3.4%

CAKE traded up $3.47 on Monday, reaching $104.89. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,640,389 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,369,998. The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated has a 1 year low of $43.07 and a 1 year high of $105.18. The business’s 50 day moving average is $77.60 and its 200 day moving average is $66.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The stock has a market cap of $5.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.01.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The restaurant operator reported $1.44 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.26. Cheesecake Factory had a net margin of 4.61% and a return on equity of 45.94%. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $999.54 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.16 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated will post 4.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheesecake Factory Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 11th. Cheesecake Factory’s payout ratio is currently 32.52%.

Key Stories Impacting Cheesecake Factory

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cheesecake Factory delivered a quarterly earnings beat, with earnings per share of $1.44 versus the $1.18 analyst consensus and revenue of $1.03 billion versus estimates of approximately $999.5 million. Revenue increased 7.7% year over year, supporting investor confidence in continued sales and profit growth. A Sweet Beat and a Wearables Rally Came With Reasons to Pause
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and growth-focused coverage continue to point to CAKE’s favorable growth characteristics, including stronger operating performance and the potential for earnings to outperform expectations. The company is expected to earn approximately $4.43 per share for the current year. Is Cheesecake Factory a Solid Growth Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles highlighting the chain’s broad menu, pasta offerings and popularity among diners may support brand visibility and customer interest, but they provide no new financial guidance or material catalyst for the stock. The Cheesecake Factory Menu Is So Big It Breaks Every Restaurant Rule
• Negative Sentiment: The earnings-related rally could face resistance because some of the reported improvement may reflect non-recurring factors, while margin pressures remain a concern. With CAKE’s valuation elevated after its advance, investors may require continued execution to justify further gains. A Sweet Beat and a Wearables Rally Came With Reasons to Pause
• Negative Sentiment: Executive Vice President Scarlett May sold 7,978 shares for approximately $819,000, reducing her holdings by 30.4%. A separate filing reported Matthew Eliot Clark sold 68,900 shares. Insider sales do not necessarily indicate deteriorating fundamentals, but they may weigh on sentiment following the stock’s sharp rise. SEC Insider Trading Filing

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on CAKE. Weiss Ratings cut Cheesecake Factory from a “buy (b)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research note on Friday. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $53.00 to $60.00 and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 23rd. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $65.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group lowered shares of Cheesecake Factory from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $75.00 to $88.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, eleven have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $79.81.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in CAKE. Woodline Partners LP grew its position in Cheesecake Factory by 1,059.3% in the 3rd quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 618,056 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $33,771,000 after purchasing an additional 564,744 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 24.7% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 2,057,118 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $112,401,000 after buying an additional 407,223 shares during the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 214.3% during the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 512,085 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $25,850,000 after buying an additional 349,168 shares during the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP boosted its position in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 1,583.7% during the fourth quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 287,219 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $14,499,000 after buying an additional 270,160 shares during the period. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 54.0% during the third quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 747,046 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $40,819,000 after buying an additional 262,081 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 94.48% of the company’s stock.

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.