The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) Given Average Rating of “Hold” by Brokerages

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the nineteen brokerages that are covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have issued a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $59.3529.

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Cheesecake Factory from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $60.00 price objective (down previously from $70.00) on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Argus lowered their target price on Cheesecake Factory from $72.00 to $55.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, November 7th. Oppenheimer set a $70.00 price target on Cheesecake Factory in a research note on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Mizuho set a $65.00 price objective on Cheesecake Factory and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th.

Cheesecake Factory Price Performance

Cheesecake Factory stock opened at $59.31 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $50.29 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.55. The firm has a market cap of $2.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.60 and a beta of 0.97. Cheesecake Factory has a 52 week low of $42.69 and a 52 week high of $69.70.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The restaurant operator reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.60 by $0.08. Cheesecake Factory had a return on equity of 46.35% and a net margin of 4.33%.The business had revenue of $907.23 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $912.95 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $0.58 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that Cheesecake Factory will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheesecake Factory Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, November 25th. Investors of record on Tuesday, November 11th were paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, November 10th. Cheesecake Factory’s payout ratio is 32.73%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Cheesecake Factory

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 1,041.1% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 28,515 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,786,000 after acquiring an additional 26,016 shares in the last quarter. Counterpoint Mutual Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the 2nd quarter valued at about $422,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 11.6% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 8,329 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $547,000 after purchasing an additional 864 shares during the period. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC bought a new stake in Cheesecake Factory during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,743,000. Finally, Blair William & Co. IL raised its holdings in Cheesecake Factory by 105.7% during the 2nd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 10,639 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $667,000 after buying an additional 5,466 shares during the period. 94.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.