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Here's Why Investors Should Steer Clear of Cheesecake Factory
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“Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks.”- Warren Buffett.
At the moment, the quote fits perfectly for The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (CAKE - Free Report) as the company’s near-term future looks bleak. Investors need to exercise extreme caution when it comes to the stock as it is unlikely to show any major improvement in the near term. Ever since the company reported its second-quarter 2018 results, the stock has declined 5.4% against the industry’s 4.2% growth.
Let’s delve deeper to find out what’s taking this Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) company downhill.
Cheesecake Factory Vs Industry Scorecard
Higher Costs Continues to Impact Earnings
Of late, Cheesecake Factory’s profits have been under pressure due to a rising wage rate scenario. Moreover, pre-opening costs of outlets, given the company’s unit expansion plans and expenses related to sales initiatives, are adding to the costs and might hurt profits. In the second quarter of 2018, its labor expense ratio was 35.8%, up 190 bps from the year-ago quarter number. This uptick was primarily driven by higher hourly labor, including more wages, overtime and training costs. General and administrative expenses accounted for 7% of revenues in second-quarter 2018, up 80 bps from the prior-year quarter owing to $4.5 million of legal expenses.
In 2018, the company projects food inflation of more than 3%, particularly across poultry, dairy, bread and seafood. Wage inflation is anticipated to be about 5% in the same period.
Negative Estimate Revisions
After reporting lower-than-expected earnings in second-quarter 2018, analysts have lowered their estimates. Over the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings has witnessed a downward revision of 7.9% and 8.6% to 58 cents and $2.45 per share for third-quarter and 2018, respectively. Notably, downward earnings estimate revisions raise questions on the stock’s future earnings potential.
Stiff Competition
The restaurant space is highly competitive as numerous restaurant operators are adopting advanced and prudent strategies to increase their sales. In fact, going by the current retail scenario, adapting to shifting demand has become a major precedence for retailers. In fact, companies with continual digital innovation, focus on product customization as well as launch and delivery of seamless consumer experience can only thrive in the competitive space. Consequently, this puts a lot of pressure on Cheesecake Factory to continuously change its strategies in correspondence to the fickle consumer demand.
Carrols Restaurant Group’s earnings have surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 25%.
Dine Brands Global reported better-than-expected earnings in the trailing four quarters, with an average beat of 8.1%.
Darden Restaurants delivered better-than-expected earnings in the preceding four quarters, with an average beat of 3.1%.
5 Companies Verge on Apple-Like Run
Did you miss Apple's 9X stock explosion after they launched their iPhone in 2007? Now 2018 looks to be a pivotal year to get in on another emerging technology expected to rock the market. Demand could soar from almost nothing to $42 billion by 2025. Reports suggest it could save 10 million lives per decade which could in turn save $200 billion in U.S. healthcare costs. A bonus Zacks Special Report names this breakthrough and the 5 best stocks to exploit it. Like Apple in 2007, these companies are already strong and coiling for potential mega-gains.
Image: Bigstock
Here's Why Investors Should Steer Clear of Cheesecake Factory
“Should you find yourself in a chronically leaking boat, energy devoted to changing vessels is likely to be more productive than energy devoted to patching leaks.”- Warren Buffett.
At the moment, the quote fits perfectly for The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (CAKE - Free Report) as the company’s near-term future looks bleak. Investors need to exercise extreme caution when it comes to the stock as it is unlikely to show any major improvement in the near term. Ever since the company reported its second-quarter 2018 results, the stock has declined 5.4% against the industry’s 4.2% growth.
Let’s delve deeper to find out what’s taking this Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell) company downhill.
Cheesecake Factory Vs Industry Scorecard
Higher Costs Continues to Impact Earnings
Of late, Cheesecake Factory’s profits have been under pressure due to a rising wage rate scenario. Moreover, pre-opening costs of outlets, given the company’s unit expansion plans and expenses related to sales initiatives, are adding to the costs and might hurt profits. In the second quarter of 2018, its labor expense ratio was 35.8%, up 190 bps from the year-ago quarter number. This uptick was primarily driven by higher hourly labor, including more wages, overtime and training costs. General and administrative expenses accounted for 7% of revenues in second-quarter 2018, up 80 bps from the prior-year quarter owing to $4.5 million of legal expenses.
In 2018, the company projects food inflation of more than 3%, particularly across poultry, dairy, bread and seafood. Wage inflation is anticipated to be about 5% in the same period.
Negative Estimate Revisions
After reporting lower-than-expected earnings in second-quarter 2018, analysts have lowered their estimates. Over the past 60 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for earnings has witnessed a downward revision of 7.9% and 8.6% to 58 cents and $2.45 per share for third-quarter and 2018, respectively. Notably, downward earnings estimate revisions raise questions on the stock’s future earnings potential.
Stiff Competition
The restaurant space is highly competitive as numerous restaurant operators are adopting advanced and prudent strategies to increase their sales. In fact, going by the current retail scenario, adapting to shifting demand has become a major precedence for retailers. In fact, companies with continual digital innovation, focus on product customization as well as launch and delivery of seamless consumer experience can only thrive in the competitive space. Consequently, this puts a lot of pressure on Cheesecake Factory to continuously change its strategies in correspondence to the fickle consumer demand.
Stocks to Consider
Some better-ranked stocks in the same space are Carrols Restaurant Group, Inc. (TAST - Free Report) , Dine Brands Global, Inc. (DIN - Free Report) and Darden Restaurants, Inc. (DRI - Free Report) . All the stocks carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Carrols Restaurant Group’s earnings have surpassed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by an average of 25%.
Dine Brands Global reported better-than-expected earnings in the trailing four quarters, with an average beat of 8.1%.
Darden Restaurants delivered better-than-expected earnings in the preceding four quarters, with an average beat of 3.1%.
5 Companies Verge on Apple-Like Run
Did you miss Apple's 9X stock explosion after they launched their iPhone in 2007? Now 2018 looks to be a pivotal year to get in on another emerging technology expected to rock the market. Demand could soar from almost nothing to $42 billion by 2025. Reports suggest it could save 10 million lives per decade which could in turn save $200 billion in U.S. healthcare costs. A bonus Zacks Special Report names this breakthrough and the 5 best stocks to exploit it. Like Apple in 2007, these companies are already strong and coiling for potential mega-gains.
Click to see them right now >>