Wells Fargo & Company Boosts Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) Price Target to $60.00

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) had its target price boosted by stock analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $55.00 to $60.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s target price points to a potential downside of 5.57% from the company’s current price.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the stock. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $65.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, February 9th. Mizuho raised their price objective on shares of Cheesecake Factory from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, February 12th. Barclays reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $58.00 target price on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America cut their price target on Cheesecake Factory from $61.00 to $56.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Oppenheimer set a $70.00 price objective on Cheesecake Factory in a report on Wednesday, October 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have issued a Hold rating and four have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $61.81.

Cheesecake Factory Trading Up 1.8%

CAKE opened at $63.54 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $57.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $55.11. The firm has a market cap of $3.17 billion, a PE ratio of 20.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.02. Cheesecake Factory has a twelve month low of $42.69 and a twelve month high of $69.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 0.47 and a current ratio of 0.55.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last released 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. 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 47.09%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.04 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Cheesecake Factory will post 3.71 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheesecake Factory

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust boosted its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. Truist Financial Corp increased its holdings in Cheesecake Factory by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Truist Financial Corp now owns 6,187 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $312,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its position in Cheesecake Factory by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 10,487 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $529,000 after acquiring an additional 200 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System lifted its stake in Cheesecake Factory by 0.5% in the second quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 44,527 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,790,000 after acquiring an additional 203 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System raised its holdings in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 1.6% in the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 13,918 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $760,000 after purchasing an additional 214 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 94.48% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting 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

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.