Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) Price Target Raised to $60.00

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) had its price objective raised by Wells Fargo & Company from $55.00 to $60.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

CAKE has been the topic of several other research reports. Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Cheesecake Factory from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Stephens lowered Cheesecake Factory from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $65.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Thursday. Mizuho increased their target price on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $61.00 to $56.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $57.00 price target on Cheesecake Factory in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.81.

Cheesecake Factory Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CAKE opened at $63.54 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32. Cheesecake Factory has a twelve month low of $42.69 and a twelve month high of $69.70. The company has a fifty day moving average of $57.04 and a 200-day moving average of $55.06. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.02.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $961.56 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $949.03 million. Cheesecake Factory had a net margin of 3.96% and a return on equity of 47.09%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.04 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Cheesecake Factory will post 3.71 EPS for the current year.

Cheesecake Factory Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from Cheesecake Factory’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. Cheesecake Factory’s payout ratio is currently 39.09%.

Institutional Trading of Cheesecake Factory

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new stake in Cheesecake Factory during the third quarter valued at about $2,743,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 1,041.1% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 28,515 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,786,000 after acquiring an additional 26,016 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 186.9% in the 3rd quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 43,226 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,362,000 after purchasing an additional 28,159 shares in the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 55,185 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Cheesecake Factory in the second quarter worth approximately $246,000. 94.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

More Cheesecake Factory News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus — EPS $1.00 vs $0.98 est and revenue $961.6M vs $949.0M; revenue grew 4.4% year-over-year, driven by unit openings. Earnings Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Company boosted its quarterly dividend (11.1% increase) and expanded its share repurchase authorization — a direct capital-return boost that supports shareholder value. Dividend & Buyback Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Management reiterated growth plans — signaling up to 26 new units in 2026 and highlighting strong performance from the Flower Child concept, which helps offset softness at the namesake brand. Expansion & Brand Notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Company issued FY‑2026 revenue guidance near ~$3.9B and Q1 revenue guidance of $955M–$970M, roughly in line with Street expectations — guidance is not aggressive but provides clarity. Earnings Highlights / Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary mixed but supportive in places — William Blair kept a Buy rating citing resilient fundamentals even as others call for caution on valuation. Analyst Views
• Negative Sentiment: Comparable-sales weakness at the Cheesecake Factory brand (about -2.2%) and narrower operating margins (noted compression in the quarter) prompted an initial stock pullback and raise near‑term profit concerns. Comparable Sales / Volatility
• Negative Sentiment: Some shops trimmed expectations or moved to neutral/equal‑weight (e.g., Stephens downgrade; Wells Fargo maintained a cautious view), reflecting concerns about premium valuation versus mixed traffic trends. Analyst Downgrades / Holds

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.