UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) Stock Price

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) had its price objective lifted by UBS Group from $41.00 to $45.00 in a report released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a sell rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on CAKE. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on Cheesecake Factory from $56.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Cheesecake Factory from $45.00 to $52.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Thursday. Bank of America boosted their price objective on Cheesecake Factory from $47.00 to $49.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 30th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Cheesecake Factory from $52.00 to $57.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $60.00 price objective on shares of Cheesecake Factory in a research note on Thursday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Cheesecake Factory has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $52.19.

Cheesecake Factory Price Performance

Shares of Cheesecake Factory stock opened at $54.97 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $51.06 and its 200-day simple moving average is $45.31. Cheesecake Factory has a 52 week low of $33.05 and a 52 week high of $57.32. The company has a market capitalization of $2.81 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.90, a PEG ratio of 1.34 and a beta of 1.51. The company has a quick ratio of 0.33, a current ratio of 0.44 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.19.

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 19th. The restaurant operator reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.13. The company had revenue of $920.96 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $912.67 million. Cheesecake Factory had a return on equity of 43.90% and a net margin of 3.63%. As a group, analysts expect that Cheesecake Factory will post 3.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Cheesecake Factory Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 18th. Shareholders 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 yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, March 5th. Cheesecake Factory’s dividend payout ratio is currently 41.06%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Cheesecake Factory

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC grew its position in 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 worth $4,801,000 after purchasing an additional 13,678 shares during the period. Voloridge Investment Management LLC grew its position in Cheesecake Factory by 42.7% during the 4th quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 489,570 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $23,225,000 after purchasing an additional 146,469 shares during the period. Twinbeech Capital LP acquired a new stake in Cheesecake Factory during the 4th quarter worth about $1,500,000. State of Wyoming grew its position in Cheesecake Factory by 21.2% during the 4th quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 8,215 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $390,000 after purchasing an additional 1,435 shares during the period. Finally, Sapience Investments LLC acquired a new stake in Cheesecake Factory during the 4th quarter worth about $1,857,000. 94.48% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Cheesecake Factory

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.