Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) EVP Scarlett May Sells 2,939 Shares of Company Stock

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) EVP Scarlett May sold 2,939 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $114.12, for a total transaction of $335,398.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 15,302 shares in the company, valued at $1,746,264.24. This represents a 16.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Cheesecake Factory Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of NASDAQ:CAKE opened at $112.64 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.61 billion, a PE ratio of 26.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 1.04. The company has a current ratio of 0.59, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08. The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated has a twelve month low of $43.07 and a twelve month high of $118.63. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $108.02 and a 200-day simple moving average of $79.68.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.06. The business had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. Cheesecake Factory had a net margin of 5.20% and a return on equity of 46.95%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.66 EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated will post 4.70 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheesecake Factory Announces Dividend

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

More Cheesecake Factory News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Third-quarter results showed solid momentum: total revenue exceeded $1.033 billion, and flagship restaurant guest traffic rose 9.5%. The company also surpassed consensus estimates for both revenue and earnings, suggesting continued customer demand. Cheesecake Factory: 3 Key Takeaways for Long-Term Investors
• Positive Sentiment: Freedom Capital upgraded CAKE from “hold” to “strong-buy,” providing a bullish counterpoint to the day’s more cautious research. Freedom Capital analyst action
• Positive Sentiment: The company announced an opening date for a new location at West County Mall, indicating continued unit expansion, although the financial impact is likely limited in the near term. Cheesecake Factory sets opening date
• Neutral Sentiment: Barack Obama’s repeated Cheesecake Factory references have generated substantial media attention and may increase brand visibility, but the political dispute does not appear to change the company’s earnings outlook or operations. Seth Meyers praises Obama
• Neutral Sentiment: Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating, signaling that the firm sees limited near-term outperformance despite CAKE’s strong operating results. Stephens reaffirms Equal Weight rating
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks Research downgraded CAKE from “strong-buy” to “hold.” The stock also crossed below its 50-day moving average following the downgrade, reinforcing near-term technical and valuation concerns. Cheesecake Factory stock crosses below 50-day moving average

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory in the second quarter valued at about $38,020,000. Bamco Inc. NY acquired a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the second quarter worth about $35,793,000. PDT Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the second quarter worth about $13,743,000. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the third quarter worth about $13,792,000. Finally, Palisade Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the second quarter worth about $10,014,000. 94.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Freedom Capital raised Cheesecake Factory from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Citigroup dropped their price target on Cheesecake Factory from $128.00 to $127.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Cheesecake Factory from $92.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, August 26th. William Blair reiterated an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Cheesecake Factory from $101.00 to $122.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $95.47.

About Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated is a restaurant company best known for The Cheesecake Factory, a full-service casual dining brand offering an extensive menu of American and international-inspired dishes, along with a broad selection of cheesecakes and other desserts. The company also operates North Italia, an Italian restaurant concept, and owns Fox Restaurant Concepts, which develops and operates additional restaurant brands, including Flower Child and Culinary Dropout.

The company was founded by David Overton, who opened the first Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills, California, in 1978 after his parents began a cheesecake business.