Insider Selling: Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) Director Sells $10,304.00 in Stock

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) Director Alexander Cappello sold 100 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.04, for a total transaction of $10,304.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,976 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $409,687.04. This trade represents a 2.45% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Cheesecake Factory Stock Performance

Cheesecake Factory stock opened at $105.31 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $80.10 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.15. The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated has a twelve month low of $43.07 and a twelve month high of $107.95. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08. The company has a market cap of $5.24 billion, a PE ratio of 28.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 1.00.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The restaurant operator reported $1.44 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.18 by $0.26. Cheesecake Factory had a net margin of 4.61% and a return on equity of 43.97%. The firm had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $999.54 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.16 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated will post 4.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheesecake Factory Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 25th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, August 11th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. Cheesecake Factory’s dividend payout ratio is 32.52%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CAKE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group increased their price objective on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $53.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Citigroup boosted their target price on Cheesecake Factory from $76.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, July 10th. Jefferies Financial Group downgraded Cheesecake Factory from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $75.00 to $88.00 in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Mizuho raised their price target on Cheesecake Factory from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Cheesecake Factory from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $58.00 to $68.00 in a report on Thursday, May 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $81.00.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheesecake Factory

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 4.6% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 28,742 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,399,000 after purchasing an additional 1,268 shares in the last quarter. Woodline Partners LP increased its position in Cheesecake Factory by 30.9% during the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 92,664 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $4,509,000 after buying an additional 21,887 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its position in Cheesecake Factory by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 109,800 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,343,000 after buying an additional 8,592 shares in the last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its stake in Cheesecake Factory by 32.0% in the second quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,333 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $83,000 after buying an additional 323 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Cheesecake Factory by 5.0% in the second quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 112,020 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $7,019,000 after acquiring an additional 5,326 shares in the last quarter. 94.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.