Sapience Investments LLC Takes $1.86 Million Position in The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE)

Sapience Investments LLC purchased a new position in The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 39,136 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $1,857,000. Sapience Investments LLC owned about 0.08% of Cheesecake Factory at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Golden State Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Cheesecake Factory during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the 4th quarter worth approximately $43,000. Venturi Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 1,149.5% during the 4th quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,312 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 1,207 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV increased its position in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 46.9% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,321 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $110,000 after purchasing an additional 741 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 208.8% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 2,628 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $125,000 after purchasing an additional 1,777 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 94.48% of the company's stock.

Cheesecake Factory Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NASDAQ CAKE traded down $0.34 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $52.18. The company's stock had a trading volume of 332,794 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,190,410. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.30, a PEG ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.11. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $49.52 and a 200-day simple moving average of $49.96. The company has a current ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19. The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated has a fifty-two week low of $33.50 and a fifty-two week high of $57.32.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.12. Cheesecake Factory had a return on equity of 45.89% and a net margin of 4.38%. The business had revenue of $927.20 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $927.17 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.73 earnings per share. Cheesecake Factory's quarterly revenue was up 4.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Cheesecake Factory Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. Cheesecake Factory's dividend payout ratio is 33.86%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Chairman David Overton sold 100,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.08, for a total value of $5,308,000.00. Following the transaction, the chairman now owns 3,092,147 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $164,131,162.76. This represents a 3.13% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Matthew Eliot Clark sold 29,000 shares of Cheesecake Factory stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $53.56, for a total value of $1,553,240.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 39,856 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,134,687.36. The trade was a 42.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 8.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $60.00 price objective on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. William Blair reaffirmed an "outperform" rating on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on Cheesecake Factory from $47.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday, February 20th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Cheesecake Factory from $39.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Cheesecake Factory from $46.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $54.00.

Cheesecake Factory Company Profile

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.