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Research Alert: CFRA Reiterates Buy Opinion On Shares Of Cheesecake Factory Inc

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-- CFRA, an independent research provider, has providedwith the following research alert. Analysts at CFRA have summarized their opinion as follows:

We raise our 12-month price target by $4 to $75, 18x our 2026 EPS estimate, a premium to shares' 13x five-year average. We raise our 2026 EPS to $4.17 from $3.97 and 2027's to $4.55 from $4.28. Following Q1 results, including a top- and bottom-line beat, we reiterate our Buy opinion. CAKE's focus on experiential dining continues to support comp growth (+1.6% in Q1) at its flagship Cheesecake Factory locations while increasing prices (+3.3%) above restaurant peers. Additionally, new concepts, like fast-casual brand Flower Child, are accelerating comp growth (+10% Y/Y) above management's expectations (mid-single-digit range). Operating margins of 5.8% have also remained stable despite consistent inflation in beef and seafood costs, with offsets coming from labor on strong staff retention. Encouragingly, this comes at a time when restaurant peers are feeling margin pressure. Altogether, we see upside to CAKE's 2026 financial targets of $3.91 billion and 5% net margin.

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