# The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (CAKE) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-09-08. NASDAQ, United States. Sector: Consumer Cyclical / Hotels, Restaurants & Leisure. Price $107.58, market value $5.4 billion.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 29.2×** (5-yr avg 23.1×, 3-yr avg 15.4×). The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated trades at 29.2× trailing earnings, well above its own five-year average of 23.1×: investors are paying up relative to the company's past. The Consumer Cyclical median in the September 2026 study was 19.5×. Forward P/E is 21.6×, lower than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to grow.
- **Price / sales: 1.4×**. Each dollar of revenue is priced at 1.4×.
- **Price / book: 10.3×**. The shares trade at 10.3× book value; most of the value is in earnings power and intangibles rather than the balance sheet.
- **EV / EBITDA: 18.2×**. Enterprise value is 18.2× operating earnings before depreciation, the multiple that ignores how the company is financed.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: 3.9%** (5-yr avg 5.5%). Free cash flow equals 3.9% of the market value, below its five-year average of 5.5%, so the shares are pricier on cash than usual.
- **Earnings yield: 3.4%**. The inverse of the P/E: 3.4% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Operating margin: 5.3%**. 5.3% of revenue is left after running the business.
- **Net margin: 4.0%**. 4.0% of each dollar of sales reaches the bottom line.
- **Return on equity: 34.0%**. 34.0% on shareholders' equity is excellent if it is not driven by leverage; sustained above 20% usually signals a competitive advantage.
- **Return on invested capital: 19.0%**. Return on all capital, debt included, is 19.0%: comfortably above what that capital costs.
- **Return on assets: 5.5%**. Each dollar of assets produces 5.5% of profit.

## Growth
- **Revenue growth (1 yr): 4.7%** (3-yr 4.3%/yr, 5-yr 13.6%/yr). Revenue grew 4.7% over the last year, against 13.6% a year compounded over five years: growth is slowing.
- **EPS growth (1 yr): -4.4%** (3-yr 52.7%/yr). Earnings per share fell 4.4%, slower than revenue, so margins compressed.
- **Free-cash-flow growth (3 yr): 46.4%/yr**. Free cash flow has compounded at 46.4% a year over three years, lagging earnings: check whether profits are turning into cash.

## Financial health
- **Debt to equity: 1.44**. Debt is 1.44 times equity, a leveraged balance sheet that needs steady cash flow to service.
- **Net debt / EBITDA: 1.3×**. It would take 1.3 years of operating earnings to repay net borrowings, within the comfortable range.
- **Altman Z-score: 2.66**. A Z-score of 2.66 is in the grey zone; not distressed, not clearly safe.
- **Piotroski F-score: 4/9**. 4 of 9 checks pass: mixed.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 1.11%** ($1.14 per share, trailing). The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated yields 1.11%, a modest yield more typical of a growth-oriented payer.
- **Payout ratio: 35%** (27% of free cash flow). 35% of earnings goes out as dividends, leaving room to keep raising it.
- **Consecutive years of increases: 4**. 4 straight years of increases.
- **Dividend growth (5 yr): 24.6%/yr** (1-yr 0.0%). The dividend has compounded at 24.6% a year over five years, doubling roughly every 3 years at that pace.

## Analyst view
- **Analyst consensus: hold** (15 analysts). 15 analysts cover The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated; the consensus is hold, with an average price target of $92.67 (-14% from the current price). Analyst opinion is shown for context; it is not part of the Fundamental Score.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): 78.9%** (YTD 115.2%, 3-mo 62.7%). The shares are up 78.9% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -9.2%** (149.8% above the low). Trading 9% below its 52-week high.
- **200-day average: above**. The price sits above its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of an uptrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 53**. An RSI of 53 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.48** (volatility 38%). Beta of 0.48 against the S&P 500: the shares move much less than the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=CAKE · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/cake

Not investment advice.