Gagnon Securities LLC Sells 5,906 Shares of The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated $CAKE

Gagnon Securities LLC cut its holdings in The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ:CAKE) by 2.7% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 215,886 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 5,906 shares during the period. Cheesecake Factory comprises about 3.9% of Gagnon Securities LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 4th largest position. Gagnon Securities LLC owned about 0.43% of Cheesecake Factory worth $22,720,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System lifted its holdings in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 52.0% in the third quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 10,168 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,070,000 after purchasing an additional 3,477 shares in the last quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund increased its stake in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 9.7% during the 3rd quarter. Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund now owns 24,821 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,612,000 after purchasing an additional 2,201 shares in the last quarter. StoneX Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $245,000. Trek Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,464,000. Finally, Profund Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Cheesecake Factory during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $224,000. 94.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheesecake Factory News Summary

Investors following CAKE have been watching these news items:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its estimates across several upcoming quarters. It increased its FY2026 EPS forecast from $4.36 to $4.69, close to the cited $4.68 consensus, and its FY2028 forecast from $5.29 to $5.56. The analyst also raised estimates for multiple 2027 and 2028 quarters, signaling a more favorable earnings outlook. MarketBeat CAKE coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: A new Cheesecake Factory location opened at West County Mall, adding a local expansion update, though the report did not detail its expected financial impact. New location report
• Negative Sentiment: A Zacks analysis asks whether the company can sustain its reported 15.2% comparable-sales growth into 2027. Strong traffic and rewards momentum are positives, but tougher comparisons and the ability to generate repeat visits could make growth harder to maintain. Zacks comparable-sales analysis

Cheesecake Factory Stock Performance

Shares of CAKE opened at $109.67 on Thursday. The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated has a 1 year low of $43.07 and a 1 year high of $118.63. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $107.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $81.73. The company has a market capitalization of $5.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.99, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.14.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 27th. The restaurant operator reported $1.02 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $1.03 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Cheesecake Factory had a return on equity of 44.53% and a net margin of 5.20%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.66 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated will post 4.71 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Cheesecake Factory Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, November 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, November 10th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 10th. Cheesecake Factory’s payout ratio is 28.44%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Cheesecake Factory

In other Cheesecake Factory news, Director Alexander Cappello sold 425 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.71, for a total transaction of $48,326.75. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 3,428 shares in the company, valued at $389,797.88. The trade was a 11.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Scarlett May sold 2,939 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, October 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $114.12, for a total transaction of $335,398.68. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 15,302 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,746,264.24. The trade was a 16.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 29,154 shares of company stock valued at $3,298,256. 8.00% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CAKE has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Mizuho increased their target price on Cheesecake Factory from $93.00 to $110.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, October 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on Cheesecake Factory from $92.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, August 26th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Cheesecake Factory from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 7th. Freedom Capital raised Cheesecake Factory from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 28th. Finally, William Blair reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $95.47.

About Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (NASDAQ: CAKE) is a restaurant company that operates and licenses restaurants under several brands. Its portfolio includes The Cheesecake Factory, North Italia and restaurants developed by Fox Restaurant Concepts, such as Flower Child and Culinary Dropout. The company’s restaurants serve a range of dishes, including appetizers, entrees and desserts. Its bakery division produces cheesecakes and other baked goods for its restaurants and for foodservice and retail customers.