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CAKEThe Cheesecake Factory IncorporBuy Wait5.2·$84.72+0.31%
Buy WaitHigh Confidence
Investment thesis

Three earnings beats over the past four quarters and strong near-term price momentum are offset by the stock having reached its near-term resistance ceiling with just 1.7% headroom, a reward-to-risk ratio of 0.24-to-1, extreme short interest of 35%, and a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.7 that limits financial flexibility — the setup favors patience from current levels.

Thesis pillars

  • Earnings Streak Broken Recent MissImproving
  • High Leverage Limits FlexibilityDeteriorating
  • Thin Upside Unfavorable GeometryStable
  • +1 more pillar — see the Why tab for full reasoning

Full reasoning →

Open full analysis

The Cheesecake Factory Incorpor (CAKE) Stock Analysis

Buy WaitVALUE-TRAP 1/5GrowthQualityHigh Confidence

Consumer Cyclical · Restaurants

Earnings in 3 days (2026-07-28). Expect elevated volatility around the report — consider waiting for post-earnings price action before new entries.

Wait for pullback to $77.01. Weak momentum — blocks BUY_NOW at $84.72. Engine's entry $77.01 (support + ATR) is the shallowest technical level that clears the 2:1 A.R:R minimum. Key risks: Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining; Near 52-week high (3.6% away).

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated owns and operates 368 restaurants under four brands—The Cheesecake Factory (216), North Italia (48), Flower Child (43), and Fox Restaurant Concepts (55)—plus 35 internationally licensed locations as of February 23, 2026. Revenue comes from... Read more

$84.72-23.9% A.UpsideScore 5.2/10#19 of 32 Restaurants
QualityF-score7 / 9FCF yield3.04%
IncomeYield1.42%(5y avg 2.55%)Payout32.55%sustainable
Entry $77.01(support + ATR)Stop $73.32Target $86.14(resistance)A.R:R -2.2:1
Analyst target$71.67-15.4%15 analysts
$86.14our TP
$84.72price
$71.67mean
$50
$90

Wait for pullback to $77.01. Weak momentum — blocks BUY_NOW at $84.72. Engine's entry $77.01 (support + ATR) is the shallowest technical level that clears the 2:1 A.R:R minimum. Key risks: Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining; Near 52-week high (3.6% away). Chart setup: No clear chart pattern; technical signals are mixed. Earnings in 3 days. Wait until post-earnings. Score 5.2/10, high confidence.

Passes 5/8 gates (clean insider activity, no SEC red flags, news events none recent, semi cycle peak clear, materials cycle peak clear). Fails on weak momentum and favorable risk/reward ratio and earnings proximity 3d<=7d. Suitability: aggressive.

news + 30-day 8-K events · 5-min refresh

Recent developments

updated 2026-07-26
TrendMatrix Research · upcoming catalyst calendar

Upcoming dated catalysts

Tue, Jul 28, 20263d to earnings· next earnings call

Thesis

Rewards
No bull case signals
Risks
Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining
Near 52-week high (3.6% away)
Leverage penalty (D/E 4.7): -1.5

Key Metrics

P/E (TTM)24.8
P/E (Fwd)18.9
Mkt Cap$4.2B
EV/EBITDA18.1
Profit Mgn4.3%
ROE41.3%
Rev Growth5.6%
Beta1.01
Dividend1.42%
Rating analysts28

Quality Signals

Piotroski F7/9MoatNarrow

Options Flow

P/C1.50bearish
IV51%elevated

Model-generated analysis — not investment advice. Not a registered investment advisor. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

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About TrendMatrix. TrendMatrix is a publisher of general securities research and market commentary. We publish on a regular schedule. All content is the same for every subscriber in a tier — we do not provide personalized investment advice and we do not take into account any individual subscriber's financial situation, investment objectives, risk tolerance, tax situation, or holdings.

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Conflicts and positions. The TrendMatrix editorial team frequently holds personal long-term positions in securities discussed. We disclose positions held at the time of publication on each piece. We maintain a trading-window policy: we do not initiate or close positions in the same direction as a TrendMatrix publication within 24 hours before or 72 hours after publication.

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Performance. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Performance figures reflect the published model only and do not reflect any individual subscriber's actual results.

Methodology · Editorial policy & full disclaimer

Rating Breakdown

10 dimensions · all in-band

GatesMomentum 4.4<4.5A.R:R -2.2=NEGATIVEEARNINGS PROXIMITY 3d<=7dInsider activity: OKNo SEC red flagsNEWS EVENTS NONE RECENTSEMI CYCLE PEAK CLEARMATERIALS CYCLE PEAK CLEARSuitability: Aggressive
RSI
69 · Neutral
20D MA 50D MA 200D MAGOLDEN CROSSSupport $75.59Resistance $87.90

Price Targets

$73
$77
$86
A.Upside-23.9%
A.R:R-2.2:1

Position Sizing

ConvictionNone
Suggested %0.5%
Max %1%
RegimeSteady

Risk Alerts

! Target reached (-23.9% upside)
! Earnings in 3 days - binary event risk
! momentum at 4.4 (below the engine's 4.5 threshold)

Earnings

B
B
B
B
4/4 beats
Next Earnings2026-07-28 (3d)

Verdict History

reverse chrono — latest first
Loading history...
Verdicts are recorded on every nightly pipeline run. Rows capture transitions (verdict flips, score deltas ≥0.3, entry/TP/SL changes). Rows with a ▶ can be expanded to see the change reason. Aggregate cohort performance is tracked in the recommendation ledger.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CAKE stock a buy right now?

Wait for pullback to $77.01. Weak momentum — blocks BUY_NOW at $84.72. Engine's entry $77.01 (support + ATR) is the shallowest technical level that clears the 2:1 A.R:R minimum. Key risks: Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining; Near 52-week high (3.6% away). Chart setup: No clear chart pattern; technical signals are mixed. Earnings in 3 days. Wait until post-earnings. Target $86.14 (+1.7%), stop $73.32 (−15.5%), A.R:R -2.2:1. Score 5.2/10, high confidence.

What is the CAKE stock price target?

Take-profit target: $86.14 (-23.9% upside). Target $86.14 (+1.7%), stop $73.32 (−15.5%), A.R:R -2.2:1. Stop-loss: $73.32.

What are the risks of investing in CAKE?

Analyst target reached - limited upside remaining; Near 52-week high (3.6% away); Leverage penalty (D/E 4.7): -1.5.

Is CAKE overvalued or undervalued?

The Cheesecake Factory Incorpor trades at a P/E of 24.8 (forward 18.9). TrendMatrix value score: 5.0/10. Verdict: Buy (Wait for Entry).

What do analysts say about CAKE?

28 analysts cover CAKE with a consensus score of 3.5/5. Average price target: $72.

What does The Cheesecake Factory Incorpor do?The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated owns and operates 368 restaurants under four brands—The Cheesecake Factory (216),...

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated owns and operates 368 restaurants under four brands—The Cheesecake Factory (216), North Italia (48), Flower Child (43), and Fox Restaurant Concepts (55)—plus 35 internationally licensed locations as of February 23, 2026. Revenue comes from full-service dine-in and off-premise dining; average check at The Cheesecake Factory was approximately $31.79 in fiscal 2025, with average sales of ~$12.4 million per location.

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