Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) Director Alexander Cappello Sells 100 Shares

Key Points

• Director Alexander Cappello sold 100 Cheesecake Factory shares at an average price of $103.04, reducing his ownership by 2.45% to 3,976 shares.
• Cheesecake Factory reported a quarterly earnings beat, with EPS of $1.44 versus the $1.18 estimate and revenue of $1.03 billion, up 7.7% year over year.
• Shares rose 3.4% to $104.89, near their 52-week high, while analysts maintained a consensus “Hold” rating with an average price target of $79.81; the company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share.

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE - Get Free Report) Director Alexander Cappello sold 100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $103.04, for a total transaction of $10,304.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,976 shares in the company, valued at $409,687.04. The trade was a 2.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Cheesecake Factory Trading Up 3.4%

Cheesecake Factory stock traded up $3.47 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $104.89. The stock had a trading volume of 1,640,389 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,369,998. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market cap of $5.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 28.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.01. The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated has a 52-week low of $43.07 and a 52-week high of $105.18. The company has a fifty day moving average of $77.60 and a 200 day moving average of $66.20.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 28th. The restaurant operator reported $1.44 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.18 by $0.26. The business had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $999.54 million. Cheesecake Factory had a return on equity of 45.94% and a net margin of 4.61%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.16 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated will post 4.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheesecake Factory Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, August 11th. Cheesecake Factory's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 32.52%.

Institutional Trading of Cheesecake Factory

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in CAKE. Salomon & Ludwin LLC lifted its stake in Cheesecake Factory by 226.5% in 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 period. Global Retirement Partners LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 622 shares during the period. NFSG Corp raised its holdings in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 115.8% in the 1st quarter. NFSG Corp now owns 682 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 366 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 973.2% in the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 880 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $44,000 after purchasing an additional 798 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arax Advisory Partners purchased a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory in the 4th quarter worth approximately $50,000. 94.48% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAKE has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research upgraded Cheesecake Factory from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $65.00 to $75.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 16th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $66.00 to $79.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, July 2nd. Mizuho raised their price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $85.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $68.00 price objective on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a report on Thursday, April 30th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Cheesecake Factory has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $79.81.

Key Headlines Impacting Cheesecake Factory

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cheesecake Factory delivered a quarterly earnings beat, with earnings per share of $1.44 versus the $1.18 analyst consensus and revenue of $1.03 billion versus estimates of approximately $999.5 million. Revenue increased 7.7% year over year, supporting investor confidence in continued sales and profit growth. A Sweet Beat and a Wearables Rally Came With Reasons to Pause
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and growth-focused coverage continue to point to CAKE’s favorable growth characteristics, including stronger operating performance and the potential for earnings to outperform expectations. The company is expected to earn approximately $4.43 per share for the current year. Is Cheesecake Factory a Solid Growth Stock?
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent articles highlighting the chain’s broad menu, pasta offerings and popularity among diners may support brand visibility and customer interest, but they provide no new financial guidance or material catalyst for the stock. The Cheesecake Factory Menu Is So Big It Breaks Every Restaurant Rule
• Negative Sentiment: The earnings-related rally could face resistance because some of the reported improvement may reflect non-recurring factors, while margin pressures remain a concern. With CAKE’s valuation elevated after its advance, investors may require continued execution to justify further gains. A Sweet Beat and a Wearables Rally Came With Reasons to Pause
• Negative Sentiment: Executive Vice President Scarlett May sold 7,978 shares for approximately $819,000, reducing her holdings by 30.4%. A separate filing reported Matthew Eliot Clark sold 68,900 shares. Insider sales do not necessarily indicate deteriorating fundamentals, but they may weigh on sentiment following the stock’s sharp rise. SEC Insider Trading Filing

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.