Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) Stock Rating Upgraded by JPMorgan Chase & Co.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) was upgraded by analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from an “underweight” rating to a “neutral” rating in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage presently has a $68.00 target price on the restaurant operator’s stock, up from their previous target price of $58.00. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s target price would suggest a potential upside of 14.30% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Stephens increased their price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $75.00 to $76.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Mizuho set a $75.00 price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $68.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $65.00 price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and three have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $64.94.

Cheesecake Factory Price Performance

CAKE stock opened at $59.49 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.59. Cheesecake Factory has a 52 week low of $43.07 and a 52 week high of $69.70. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $59.24 and its 200 day moving average is $55.89. The firm has a market cap of $2.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.04.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.05 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.03 by $0.02. Cheesecake Factory had a net margin of 4.34% and a return on equity of 43.74%. The company had revenue of $978.83 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $964.57 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.93 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 5.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Cheesecake Factory will post 4.03 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Cheesecake Factory

In other news, insider Ashley W. Hanscom sold 2,951 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.64, for a total value of $193,703.64. Following the completion of the sale, the insider directly owned 11,041 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $724,731.24. This trade represents a 21.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Matthew Eliot Clark sold 7,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.70, for a total transaction of $459,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 124,582 shares of company stock worth $7,684,016. 8.00% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheesecake Factory

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its position in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 226.5% in the 4th quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 604 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 419 shares during the period. Global Retirement Partners LLC lifted its position in Cheesecake Factory by 661.7% during the 4th 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 period. NFSG Corp lifted its position in Cheesecake Factory by 115.8% during the 1st quarter. NFSG Corp now owns 682 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 366 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC lifted its position in Cheesecake Factory by 973.2% during the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 880 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 798 shares during the period. Finally, Arax Advisory Partners purchased a new position in Cheesecake Factory during the 4th quarter valued at about $50,000. 94.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Cheesecake Factory News

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

• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded Cheesecake Factory from underweight to neutral and raised its price target to $68 from $58, signaling improved confidence in the stock’s outlook. Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) Upgraded to Neutral at JPMorgan Chase & Co.
• Positive Sentiment: Another market note highlighted Cheesecake Factory as a restaurant chain that may be better positioned to serve a broad customer base, including GLP-1 users and more cautious consumers, which supports the investment case for the company. Analysts say this restaurant chain has figured out how to feed everyone — GLP-1 users included
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks Research trimmed near- and medium-term earnings estimates, including Q2 2026 EPS to $1.15 from $1.20 and Q4 2026 EPS to $0.97 from $1.05, which is a mild headwind but not a major deterioration. Research estimate revisions
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks also nudged down its Q1 2028 and Q4 2027 EPS forecasts, while slightly raising FY2028 EPS to $4.82 from $4.78, suggesting longer-term expectations remain broadly stable. Long-term earnings estimate changes

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.