Q1 EPS Estimate for Cheesecake Factory Increased by Analyst

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research increased their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for Cheesecake Factory in a report issued on Wednesday, March 4th. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the restaurant operator will earn $1.03 per share for the quarter, up from their prior estimate of $0.99. The consensus estimate for Cheesecake Factory’s current full-year earnings is $3.71 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Cheesecake Factory’s Q2 2026 earnings at $1.20 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.71 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $1.05 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $4.00 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.09 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $1.26 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $0.74 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $1.13 EPS, FY2027 earnings at $4.22 EPS and FY2028 earnings at $4.78 EPS.

CAKE has been the topic of several other reports. UBS Group set a $53.00 target price on shares of Cheesecake Factory and gave the company a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Cheesecake Factory from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Mizuho set a $75.00 price target on Cheesecake Factory in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price objective on Cheesecake Factory from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $62.00 price objective on Cheesecake Factory in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.81.

Cheesecake Factory Trading Down 2.0%

Cheesecake Factory stock opened at $61.74 on Friday. Cheesecake Factory has a 52 week low of $42.69 and a 52 week high of $69.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.11, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.97. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $59.58 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.17.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.98 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $961.56 million for 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 firm’s quarterly 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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheesecake Factory

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC acquired a new position in Cheesecake Factory in the third quarter worth approximately $2,743,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. lifted its stake in Cheesecake Factory by 1,041.1% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 28,515 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,786,000 after acquiring an additional 26,016 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its stake in Cheesecake Factory by 186.9% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 43,226 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,362,000 after acquiring an additional 28,159 shares during the last quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its position in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. increased its stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 6.2% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,704,314 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $106,792,000 after purchasing an additional 99,688 shares during the last quarter. 94.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Cheesecake Factory

In other news, CFO Matthew Eliot Clark sold 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.70, for a total value of $459,900.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 44,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,896,713. This represents a 13.70% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Spero G. Alex sold 4,790 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.00, for a total value of $316,140.00. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 15,376 shares of company stock valued at $1,010,219. 8.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Cheesecake Factory Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 4th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is an increase from Cheesecake Factory’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. Cheesecake Factory’s dividend payout ratio is presently 39.09%.

Key Headlines Impacting Cheesecake Factory

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks raised near-term and FY2026 estimates slightly — Q1 2026 was revised up to $1.03 from $0.99, Q3 2026 to $0.71 from $0.67, and FY2026 to $4.00 (from $3.99). These upward tweaks suggest some resilience in short-term operating trends. Zacks / MarketBeat summary
• Positive Sentiment: Zacks published a FY2028 EPS estimate of $4.78, signaling expectations for continued earnings recovery beyond FY2027 — a longer‑term constructive datapoint for growth investors. Zacks / MarketBeat summary
• Neutral Sentiment: The Cheesecake Factory expanded menu offerings, which could help traffic and check sizes but is unlikely to move results immediately; viewed as an operational/marketing positive with gradual effect. The Cheesecake Factory’s already massive menu expands with more items
• Neutral Sentiment: An AOL comparison of happy-hour deals (Cheesecake Factory vs. Yard House) is consumer-facing coverage; useful for brand perception but unlikely to be a material earnings driver. Cheesecake Factory Vs Yard House: Which Chain Has Better Happy Hour Deals?
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed FY2027 and several quarterly forecasts — FY2027 cut to $4.22 from $4.38 and reductions across Q1–Q4 2027 and portions of 2026 (notably Q2 2026 from $1.26 to $1.20). Multiple downward revisions to next‑year guidance likely weighed on sentiment because they reduce forward earnings visibility. Zacks / MarketBeat summary
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks also lowered several specific 2027 quarter estimates (Q1 2027 $1.09 from $1.13, Q2/Q3/Q4 tweaks) — these serial cuts can prompt short-term multiple compression as investors reprice CAKE against reduced near‑term growth expectations. Zacks / MarketBeat summary

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.