Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 48,009 Shares of The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated $CAKE

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) by 0.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 5,151,328 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 48,009 shares during the quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 10.34% of Cheesecake Factory worth $281,469,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of CAKE. Engineers Gate Manager LP bought a new stake in Cheesecake Factory during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $8,050,000. American Century Companies Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,704,314 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $106,792,000 after buying an additional 99,688 shares in the last quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 20.8% during the 2nd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 348,506 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $21,837,000 after purchasing an additional 60,078 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 131.8% in the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 97,055 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $6,081,000 after acquiring an additional 55,185 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,743,000. 94.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Trending Headlines about Cheesecake Factory

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights CAKE as a strong value stock based on style scores, which supports a valuation-driven bullish case for value-oriented investors. Here’s Why CAKE is a Strong Value Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Management is weighing expansion for 2026 and exploring a rewards/app strategy that could boost repeat visits and off-premise sales if executed well — a potential multi-year revenue driver. Cheesecake Factory Weighs 2026 Expansion
• Positive Sentiment: International growth: the bakery/franchise arm opened its first India store in Bengaluru with aggressive multi-year revenue targets, signaling a path to diversify outside the U.S. market. Bakery opens first India store
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase: company raised the quarterly dividend to $0.30 (annualized $1.20), which supports income investors and signals confidence in cash flow. MarketBeat coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Brand and real-estate positioning piece explains why Cheesecake Factory often anchors malls — useful context on customer traffic and site strategy but not an immediate catalyst. Why Cheesecake Factory is always in the mall
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst Q&A/FAQ pieces after Q4 provide items to watch (guidance, margins) — helpful for investors but not new data. 5 Must-Read Analyst Questions
• Negative Sentiment: Concentrated insider selling: CFO Matthew Clark, EVP Spero Alex, director Alexander Cappello and others sold sizable blocks (~$64–$66 levels) last week. Multiple filings and aggregated reports have amplified investor concern and are the likely proximate cause of today’s downward price move. TipRanks insider trading
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation risk: coverage and commentaries flag that mixed analyst ratings and a moderate P/E leave the stock vulnerable if growth or margins disappoint. That concern compounds negative sentiment from insider sales. Valuation risks

Insider Transactions at Cheesecake Factory

In related news, Director Alexander L. Cappello sold 635 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.74, for a total value of $40,474.90. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 6,171 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $393,339.54. This trade represents a 9.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, insider Ashley W. Hanscom sold 2,951 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.64, for a total transaction of $193,703.64. Following the transaction, the insider owned 11,041 shares in the company, valued at $724,731.24. This trade represents a 21.09% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 15,376 shares of company stock worth $1,010,219. 8.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Cheesecake Factory Stock Performance

Shares of CAKE stock opened at $64.78 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.10, a PEG ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.02. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $58.46 and a 200 day moving average of $55.17. The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated has a 52 week low of $42.69 and a 52 week high of $69.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.02. The business 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 3.96% and a return on equity of 45.68%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.04 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheesecake Factory Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is a positive change from Cheesecake Factory’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. Cheesecake Factory’s dividend payout ratio is currently 35.18%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on Cheesecake Factory from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. UBS Group set a $53.00 price target on Cheesecake Factory and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $58.00 price objective on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Cheesecake Factory from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday, February 23rd. Finally, Citigroup boosted their target price on Cheesecake Factory from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $61.81.

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.