Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC Sells 13,725 Shares of The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated $CAKE

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC trimmed its position in The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) by 31.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 29,762 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 13,725 shares during the period. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC owned 0.06% of Cheesecake Factory worth $3,132,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Bank of New York Mellon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $38,020,000. Bamco Inc. NY bought a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the second quarter valued at approximately $35,793,000. PDT Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the second quarter valued at approximately $13,743,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. purchased a new position in Cheesecake Factory in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $13,792,000. Finally, Palisade Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Cheesecake Factory in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $10,014,000. Institutional investors own 94.48% of the company’s stock.

Cheesecake Factory News Roundup

These are some of the CAKE news items that stood out recently:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its estimates across several upcoming quarters. It increased its FY2026 EPS forecast from $4.36 to $4.69, close to the cited $4.68 consensus, and its FY2028 forecast from $5.29 to $5.56. The analyst also raised estimates for multiple 2027 and 2028 quarters, signaling a more favorable earnings outlook. MarketBeat CAKE coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: A new Cheesecake Factory location opened at West County Mall, adding a local expansion update, though the report did not detail its expected financial impact. New location report
• Negative Sentiment: A Zacks analysis asks whether the company can sustain its reported 15.2% comparable-sales growth into 2027. Strong traffic and rewards momentum are positives, but tougher comparisons and the ability to generate repeat visits could make growth harder to maintain. Zacks comparable-sales analysis

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Cheesecake Factory from $92.00 to $105.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, August 26th. Wall Street Zen raised Cheesecake Factory from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Saturday, November 7th. Argus boosted their price target on Cheesecake Factory from $72.00 to $110.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $100.00 price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded Cheesecake Factory from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $95.47.

Insider Transactions at Cheesecake Factory

In related news, EVP Scarlett May sold 2,939 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.12, for a total transaction of $335,398.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 15,302 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,746,264.24. This represents a 16.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Matthew Clark sold 23,832 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.31, for a total value of $2,700,403.92. Following the sale, the chief financial officer owned 45,109 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,111,300.79. This trade represents a 34.57% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 29,154 shares of company stock valued at $3,298,256. Corporate insiders own 8.00% of the company’s stock.

Cheesecake Factory Stock Up 0.8%

Shares of CAKE stock opened at $109.67 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $107.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $81.73. The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated has a 52 week low of $43.07 and a 52 week high of $118.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.47 billion, a PE ratio of 25.99, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.14.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The restaurant operator reported $1.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.06. Cheesecake Factory had a net margin of 5.20% and a return on equity of 44.53%. The company had revenue of $1.03 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.66 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated will post 4.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheesecake Factory Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 24th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, November 10th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 10th. Cheesecake Factory’s dividend payout ratio is presently 28.44%.

About Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ: CAKE) is a restaurant company that operates and licenses restaurants under several brands. Its portfolio includes The Cheesecake Factory, North Italia and restaurants developed by Fox Restaurant Concepts, such as Flower Child and Culinary Dropout. The company’s restaurants serve a range of dishes, including appetizers, entrees and desserts. Its bakery division produces cheesecakes and other baked goods for its restaurants and for foodservice and retail customers.