Citigroup Boosts Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) Price Target to $74.00

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) had its price objective upped by analysts at Citigroup from $72.00 to $74.00 in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Citigroup’s target price suggests a potential upside of 16.46% from the company’s previous close.

CAKE has been the topic of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $49.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Mizuho set a $75.00 target price on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a research report on Thursday. Jefferies Financial Group set a $70.00 price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Barclays reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $58.00 price target on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Stephens lowered Cheesecake Factory from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and set a $65.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Thursday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and four have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $61.81.

Cheesecake Factory Stock Performance

Shares of Cheesecake Factory stock opened at $63.54 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $57.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $55.11. Cheesecake Factory has a one year low of $42.69 and a one year high of $69.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a current ratio of 0.55 and a quick ratio of 0.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.70, a PEG ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.02.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.98 by $0.02. Cheesecake Factory had a return on equity of 47.09% and a net margin of 3.96%.The firm had revenue of $961.56 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $949.03 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.04 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that Cheesecake Factory will post 3.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC purchased a new position in Cheesecake Factory in the third quarter valued at about $2,743,000. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its stake in Cheesecake Factory by 1,041.1% in the 2nd quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 28,515 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,786,000 after acquiring an additional 26,016 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC boosted its position in Cheesecake Factory by 186.9% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 43,226 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,362,000 after purchasing an additional 28,159 shares during the period. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 131.8% in the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 97,055 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $6,081,000 after purchasing an additional 55,185 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $246,000. Institutional investors own 94.48% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Cheesecake Factory

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus — EPS $1.00 vs $0.98 est and revenue $961.6M vs $949.0M; revenue grew 4.4% year-over-year, driven by unit openings. Earnings Transcript
• Positive Sentiment: Company boosted its quarterly dividend (11.1% increase) and expanded its share repurchase authorization — a direct capital-return boost that supports shareholder value. Dividend & Buyback Announcement
• Positive Sentiment: Management reiterated growth plans — signaling up to 26 new units in 2026 and highlighting strong performance from the Flower Child concept, which helps offset softness at the namesake brand. Expansion & Brand Notes
• Neutral Sentiment: Company issued FY‑2026 revenue guidance near ~$3.9B and Q1 revenue guidance of $955M–$970M, roughly in line with Street expectations — guidance is not aggressive but provides clarity. Earnings Highlights / Guidance
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst commentary mixed but supportive in places — William Blair kept a Buy rating citing resilient fundamentals even as others call for caution on valuation. Analyst Views
• Negative Sentiment: Comparable-sales weakness at the Cheesecake Factory brand (about -2.2%) and narrower operating margins (noted compression in the quarter) prompted an initial stock pullback and raise near‑term profit concerns. Comparable Sales / Volatility
• Negative Sentiment: Some shops trimmed expectations or moved to neutral/equal‑weight (e.g., Stephens downgrade; Wells Fargo maintained a cautious view), reflecting concerns about premium valuation versus mixed traffic trends. Analyst Downgrades / Holds

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.