UBS Group Boosts Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) Price Target to $45.00

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE - Free Report) had its price objective raised by UBS Group from $41.00 to $45.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a sell rating on the restaurant operator's stock.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Cheesecake Factory from $49.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, December 16th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Cheesecake Factory from $52.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday. Wedbush upped their price target on Cheesecake Factory from $59.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday. Piper Sandler upped their price target on Cheesecake Factory from $47.00 to $51.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Thursday. Finally, Oppenheimer upgraded Cheesecake Factory from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $65.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $52.19.

Cheesecake Factory Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CAKE traded down $0.32 during trading on Thursday, reaching $54.65. 2,232,702 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,442,655. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a current ratio of 0.44. Cheesecake Factory has a 12-month low of $33.05 and a 12-month high of $57.32. The firm has a market cap of $2.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.51. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $51.16 and its 200 day moving average price is $45.46.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The restaurant operator reported $1.04 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.13. The business had revenue of $920.96 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $912.67 million. Cheesecake Factory had a return on equity of 45.89% and a net margin of 4.38%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Cheesecake Factory will post 3.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheesecake Factory Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Investors of record on Wednesday, March 5th will be given a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, March 5th. Cheesecake Factory's dividend payout ratio is currently 33.75%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheesecake Factory

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its position in shares of Cheesecake Factory by 15.6% during the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 101,208 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $4,801,000 after acquiring an additional 13,678 shares in the last quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its position in Cheesecake Factory by 42.7% in the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 489,570 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $23,225,000 after buying an additional 146,469 shares during the period. Twinbeech Capital LP acquired a new stake in Cheesecake Factory in the fourth quarter worth $1,500,000. State of Wyoming increased its position in Cheesecake Factory by 21.2% in the fourth quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 8,215 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $390,000 after buying an additional 1,435 shares during the period. Finally, Sapience Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Cheesecake Factory in the fourth quarter worth $1,857,000. 94.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Cheesecake Factory Company Profile

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated operates and licenses restaurants in the United States and Canada. The company operates bakeries that produce cheesecakes and other baked products for its restaurants, international licensees, third-party bakery customers, external foodservice operators, retailers, and distributors.