Insider Selling: Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) EVP Sells $316,140.00 in Stock

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) EVP Spero Alex sold 4,790 shares of Cheesecake Factory stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.00, for a total transaction of $316,140.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Cheesecake Factory Stock Performance

NASDAQ:CAKE opened at $64.78 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.23 billion, a PE ratio of 21.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.02. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated has a 12-month low of $42.69 and a 12-month high of $69.70. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $58.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $55.17.

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 company 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 45.68% and a net margin of 3.96%.The company’s revenue was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.04 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. This is a boost from Cheesecake Factory’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. Cheesecake Factory’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 35.18%.

Key Cheesecake Factory News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights CAKE as a strong value stock based on style scores, which supports a valuation-driven bullish case for value-oriented investors. Here’s Why CAKE is a Strong Value Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Management is weighing expansion for 2026 and exploring a rewards/app strategy that could boost repeat visits and off-premise sales if executed well — a potential multi-year revenue driver. Cheesecake Factory Weighs 2026 Expansion
• Positive Sentiment: International growth: the bakery/franchise arm opened its first India store in Bengaluru with aggressive multi-year revenue targets, signaling a path to diversify outside the U.S. market. Bakery opens first India store
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase: company raised the quarterly dividend to $0.30 (annualized $1.20), which supports income investors and signals confidence in cash flow. MarketBeat coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Brand and real-estate positioning piece explains why Cheesecake Factory often anchors malls — useful context on customer traffic and site strategy but not an immediate catalyst. Why Cheesecake Factory is always in the mall
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst Q&A/FAQ pieces after Q4 provide items to watch (guidance, margins) — helpful for investors but not new data. 5 Must-Read Analyst Questions
• Negative Sentiment: Concentrated insider selling: CFO Matthew Clark, EVP Spero Alex, director Alexander Cappello and others sold sizable blocks (~$64–$66 levels) last week. Multiple filings and aggregated reports have amplified investor concern and are the likely proximate cause of today’s downward price move. TipRanks insider trading
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation risk: coverage and commentaries flag that mixed analyst ratings and a moderate P/E leave the stock vulnerable if growth or margins disappoint. That concern compounds negative sentiment from insider sales. Valuation risks

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its position in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 226.5% during the fourth quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 604 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 419 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Cheesecake Factory by 661.7% in the fourth quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 716 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 622 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust increased its position in Cheesecake Factory by 39.2% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 632 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $40,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC increased its position in Cheesecake Factory by 973.2% in the fourth quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 880 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $44,000 after purchasing an additional 798 shares during the period. Finally, Arax Advisory Partners bought a new stake in Cheesecake Factory during the 4th quarter worth about $50,000. 94.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Mizuho set a $75.00 price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a report on Thursday, February 19th. UBS Group set a $53.00 price objective on shares of Cheesecake Factory and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a report on Friday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley boosted their target price on Cheesecake Factory from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Barclays restated an “underweight” rating and set a $58.00 price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $62.00 price target on Cheesecake Factory in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have assigned a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $61.81.

Cheesecake Factory Company Profile

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.