Spero Alex Sells 4,790 Shares of Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) Stock

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) EVP Spero Alex sold 4,790 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.00, for a total transaction of $316,140.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Cheesecake Factory Price Performance

Cheesecake Factory stock opened at $64.78 on Friday. The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated has a 52-week low of $42.69 and a 52-week high of $69.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.47, a current ratio of 0.59 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.29. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $58.46 and its 200 day moving average is $55.22. The company has a market cap of $3.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.10, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.02.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $961.56 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $949.03 million. Cheesecake Factory had a net margin of 3.96% and a return on equity of 45.68%. The business’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.04 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated will post 3.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheesecake Factory Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, March 4th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 4th. This is an increase from Cheesecake Factory’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. Cheesecake Factory’s payout ratio is presently 39.09%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently weighed in on CAKE. Weiss Ratings raised Cheesecake Factory from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Cheesecake Factory from $55.00 to $60.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $72.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered shares of Cheesecake Factory from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have given a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.81.

Institutional Trading of Cheesecake Factory

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 419 shares during the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its position in Cheesecake Factory by 661.7% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 716 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 622 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its position in Cheesecake Factory by 39.2% in the 2nd quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 632 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $40,000 after buying an additional 178 shares during the period. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its stake in Cheesecake Factory by 973.2% in the 4th quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 880 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $44,000 after acquiring an additional 798 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arax Advisory Partners purchased a new position in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the fourth quarter worth approximately $50,000. 94.48% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Cheesecake Factory News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks highlights CAKE as a strong value stock based on style scores, which supports a valuation-driven bullish case for value-oriented investors. Here’s Why CAKE is a Strong Value Stock
• Positive Sentiment: Management is weighing expansion for 2026 and exploring a rewards/app strategy that could boost repeat visits and off-premise sales if executed well — a potential multi-year revenue driver. Cheesecake Factory Weighs 2026 Expansion
• Positive Sentiment: International growth: the bakery/franchise arm opened its first India store in Bengaluru with aggressive multi-year revenue targets, signaling a path to diversify outside the U.S. market. Bakery opens first India store
• Positive Sentiment: Dividend increase: company raised the quarterly dividend to $0.30 (annualized $1.20), which supports income investors and signals confidence in cash flow. MarketBeat coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Brand and real-estate positioning piece explains why Cheesecake Factory often anchors malls — useful context on customer traffic and site strategy but not an immediate catalyst. Why Cheesecake Factory is always in the mall
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst Q&A/FAQ pieces after Q4 provide items to watch (guidance, margins) — helpful for investors but not new data. 5 Must-Read Analyst Questions
• Negative Sentiment: Concentrated insider selling: CFO Matthew Clark, EVP Spero Alex, director Alexander Cappello and others sold sizable blocks (~$64–$66 levels) last week. Multiple filings and aggregated reports have amplified investor concern and are the likely proximate cause of today’s downward price move. TipRanks insider trading
• Negative Sentiment: Valuation risk: coverage and commentaries flag that mixed analyst ratings and a moderate P/E leave the stock vulnerable if growth or margins disappoint. That concern compounds negative sentiment from insider sales. Valuation risks

Cheesecake Factory Company Profile

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.