Wedbush Issues Positive Forecast for Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) Stock Price

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) had its price target increased by Wedbush from $59.00 to $61.00 in a research note released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an outperform rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Wedbush also issued estimates for Cheesecake Factory’s Q4 2024 earnings at $0.93 EPS, FY2024 earnings at $3.33 EPS, Q1 2025 earnings at $0.77 EPS, Q2 2025 earnings at $1.08 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.60 EPS, Q1 2026 earnings at $0.89 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $1.22 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.69 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $4.24 EPS.

CAKE has been the topic of a number of other reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $56.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their target price on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $49.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 16th. Stephens increased their price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $51.00 to $57.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $52.00 to $57.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $52.19.

Cheesecake Factory Stock Down 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CAKE opened at $54.65 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a current ratio of 0.44 and a quick ratio of 0.33. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.79 billion, a PE ratio of 17.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.51. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $51.16 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.53. Cheesecake Factory has a 1 year low of $33.05 and a 1 year high of $57.32.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The restaurant operator reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.13. Cheesecake Factory had a net margin of 4.38% and a return on equity of 45.89%. The firm had revenue of $920.96 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $912.67 million. Analysts predict that Cheesecake Factory will post 3.71 EPS for the current year.

Cheesecake Factory Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. Cheesecake Factory’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.75%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheesecake Factory

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Cheesecake Factory in the fourth quarter valued at $63,114,000. Wellington Management Group LLP purchased a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the 4th quarter worth $56,288,000. Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 166.9% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,076,347 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $51,062,000 after purchasing an additional 673,076 shares in the last quarter. Junto Capital Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the 4th quarter worth $21,827,000. Finally, JCP Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 181.3% during the 4th quarter. JCP Investment Management LLC now owns 667,210 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $31,652,000 after purchasing an additional 430,000 shares in the last quarter. 94.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated operates and licenses restaurants in the United States and Canada. The company operates bakeries that produce cheesecakes and other baked products for its restaurants, international licensees, third-party bakery customers, external foodservice operators, retailers, and distributors.