Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) Director Alexander Cappello Sells 425 Shares of Company Stock

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) Director Alexander Cappello sold 425 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.71, for a total transaction of $48,326.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 3,428 shares in the company, valued at $389,797.88. The trade was a 11.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link.

Cheesecake Factory Stock Performance

CAKE stock traded down $0.48 during trading on Friday, hitting $112.64. 1,627,394 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,505,850. The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated has a 1 year low of $43.07 and a 1 year high of $118.63. The company has a market cap of $5.60 billion, a PE ratio of 26.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.04. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $108.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $79.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08, a current ratio of 0.59 and a quick ratio of 0.52.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 27th. The restaurant operator reported $1.02 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Cheesecake Factory had a return on equity of 46.95% and a net margin of 5.20%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.66 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated will post 4.70 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheesecake Factory Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 24th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 10th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, November 10th. Cheesecake Factory’s payout ratio is currently 32.52%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently commented on CAKE. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $101.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 6th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $80.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Freedom Capital raised shares of Cheesecake Factory from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Argus raised their target price on Cheesecake Factory from $72.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a research note on Thursday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $95.47.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheesecake Factory

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Bank of New York Mellon Corp acquired a new position in Cheesecake Factory during the second quarter worth $38,020,000. Bamco Inc. NY purchased a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the second quarter worth about $35,793,000. PDT Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the 2nd quarter worth about $13,743,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the 3rd quarter worth about $13,792,000. Finally, Palisade Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Cheesecake Factory in the 2nd quarter valued at about $10,014,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 94.48% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting 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

About Cheesecake Factory

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.