Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) Price Target Raised to $74.00

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) had its target price hoisted by Citigroup from $72.00 to $74.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a buy rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on CAKE. Weiss Ratings lowered Cheesecake Factory from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. Argus lowered their price objective on Cheesecake Factory from $72.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $58.00 target price on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a research report on Thursday. Raymond James Financial cut shares of Cheesecake Factory from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $61.81.

Cheesecake Factory Stock Up 1.8%

NASDAQ CAKE opened at $63.54 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.47. Cheesecake Factory has a fifty-two week low of $42.69 and a fifty-two week high of $69.70. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.17 billion, a PE ratio of 20.70, a PEG ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 1.02. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $57.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $55.06.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $961.56 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $949.03 million. Cheesecake Factory had a return on equity of 47.09% and a net margin of 3.96%.Cheesecake Factory’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.04 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Cheesecake Factory will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheesecake Factory Increases Dividend

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheesecake Factory

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of CAKE. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 39.2% during the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 632 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the last quarter. Truist Financial Corp lifted its position in Cheesecake Factory by 3.0% in the 4th quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 6,187 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $312,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund boosted its stake in Cheesecake Factory by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 10,487 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $529,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System increased its holdings in Cheesecake Factory by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 44,527 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,790,000 after purchasing an additional 203 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System increased its holdings in Cheesecake Factory by 1.6% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 13,918 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $760,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. 94.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Cheesecake Factory

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.