CAKE vs EAT vs DRI Stock Comparison

Cheesecake Factory, Brinker International and Darden Restaurants Prices as of Oct 26, 2026 Peers: Industry group
CAKE Cheesecake Factory Inc
$110.13 +5.4% 1M +96.1% 1Y
Market cap
$5.05B
P/E
28.3x
Revenue (TTM)
$3.88B
Div. yield
0.01%
Full-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
1 win
EAT Brinker International, Inc
$187.83 -9.4% 1M +47.5% 1Y
Market cap
$8.56B
P/E
17.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$5.81B
Div. yield
–
Full-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
6 wins
DRI Darden Restaurants Inc
$213.25 +6.7% 1M +15.4% 1Y
Market cap
$24.26B
P/E
20.5x
Revenue (TTM)
$13.37B
Div. yield
–
Full-Service Restaurants Consumer Discretionary
4 wins

Head to Head

11 decided of 12

Brinker International leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Brinker International 6, Darden Restaurants 4, Cheesecake Factory 1). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionCAKEEATDRILeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $5.05B $8.56B $24.26B DRI
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 28.3x 17.6x 20.5x EAT
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 25.0x 13.6x 18.0x EAT
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +5.7% +7.9% +8.1% DRI
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 4.6% 8.4% 8.8% DRI
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 17.1% 59.4% 32.9% EAT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 1.2x 0.4x 1.1x EAT
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.00% 0.00% –
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +96.1% +47.5% +15.4% CAKE
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +21.8%/yr +34.4%/yr +8.2%/yr EAT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 39.8% 49.5% 27.9% DRI
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 50/100 79/100 48/100 EAT

Percentile Scorecard

CAKEEATDRI

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisCAKEEATDRI
Valuation 27 #37 of 50 67 #17 of 50 33 #34 of 50
Growth 70 #15 of 47 94 #4 of 47 26 #35 of 47
Profitability 60 #19 of 46 93 #4 of 46 80 #10 of 46
Financial Health 46 #28 of 51 54 #24 of 51 28 #37 of 51
Shareholder Returns 50 #17 of 33 88 #5 of 33 75 #9 of 33
Overall 50 79 48
  • CAKE ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • EAT ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants
  • DRI ranked among 53 companies in Restaurants

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodCAKEEATDRISPY
1 month +5.4%-9.4%+6.7% -0.8%
3 months +26.5%-4.0%+4.5% +3.5%
6 months +76.2%+40.0%+7.3% +7.0%
Year to date +118.2%+30.9%+15.9% +12.2%
1 year +96.1%+47.5%+15.4% +13.0%
3 years +268.0%+473.9%+49.7% +86.3%
3 years, per year +54.4%+79.1%+14.4% +23.1%
5 years +168.0%+338.8%+48.6% +68.6%
5 years, per year +21.8%+34.4%+8.2% +11.0%
10 years +124.2%+293.6%+248.7% +258.0%
10 years, per year +8.4%+14.7%+13.3% +13.6%

Risk

MeasureCAKEEATDRISPY
Volatility, 1Y 39.8%49.5%27.9% 12.7%
Downside volatility, 1Y 39.7%46.3%28.2% 12.7%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.490.750.18 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 2.420.960.55 1.02
Max drawdown, 5Y -43.3%-50.7%-28.1% -25.4%
From 52-week high -6.1%-26.1%-6.4% -1.8%
52-week high $117.29$254.01$227.72 $779.14
52-week low $43.14$102.29$169.21 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleCAKEEATDRI
P/E now vs peer median 28.7xmedian 20.5x 16.8xmedian 20.5x 20.5xmedian 20.5x
P/S now vs peer median 1.4xmedian 1.1x 1.4xmedian 1.1x 1.8xmedian 1.1x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 18.4xmedian 13.3x 9.9xmedian 13.3x 12.4xmedian 13.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 26.6xmedian 17.5x 14.2xmedian 17.5x 23.5xmedian 17.5x
P/B now vs peer median 10.6xmedian 3.1x 17.9xmedian 3.1x 11.7xmedian 3.1x
PEG now vs peer median 0.71median 1.07 0.25median 1.07 2.37median 1.07

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsCAKEEATDRI
Revenue $3.88B $5.81B $13.37B
Gross profit – $4.32B $4.46B
Operating income $204.16M $619.90M $1.56B
Net income $178.62M $487.00M $1.18B
Free cash flow $206.30M $557.50M $1.03B
EPS (diluted) $3.68 $10.87 $10.33
Cash & equivalents $195.17M $110.00M $220.50M
Total debt $562.90M $448.00M $2.62B
Shares (diluted) 48.49M 44.80M 114.40M
Enterprise value $4.21B $8.34B $23.36B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricCAKEEATDRI
P/E 28.7x 16.8x 20.5x
P/FCF 26.6x 14.2x 23.5x
P/Operating cash flow 15.5x 10.0x 13.5x
P/S 1.4x 1.4x 1.8x
P/B 10.6x 17.9x 11.7x
P/Tangible book 20.5x 18.5x 33.4x
EV/EBITDA 18.4x 9.9x 12.4x
EV/EBIT 28.7x 13.3x 17.0x
EV/Revenue 1.5x 1.4x 2.0x
EV/FCF 28.4x 14.8x 25.8x
EV/Operating cash flow 16.5x 10.5x 14.8x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 0.71 0.25 2.37

Growth

14 metrics
MetricCAKEEATDRI
Revenue growth (1Y) 5.7% 7.9% 8.1%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 5.0% 12.0% 7.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) – 7.1% -32.7%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) – 13.1% -7.5%
Operating income growth (1Y) 3.6% 21.1% 9.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 24.0% 62.5% 8.9%
Net income growth (1Y) 12.4% 27.1% 7.5%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 23.9% 68.1% 6.3%
EPS growth (1Y) 11.5% 30.8% 10.5%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 40.6% 68.3% 8.6%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) 14.5% 16.3% 0.7%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) – 45.5% 8.7%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) 57.2% 34.8% -4.4%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) – 98.4% 10.0%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricCAKEEATDRI
Gross margin – 74.4% 33.4%
EBITDA margin 8.2% 14.4% 16.0%
Operating margin 5.3% 10.7% 11.7%
Pretax margin 5.1% 10.0% 10.2%
Net margin 4.6% 8.4% 8.8%
FCF margin 5.3% 9.6% 7.7%
Operating cash flow margin 9.1% 13.6% 13.4%
Return on equity 36.5% 114.6% 55.3%
Return on assets 5.4% 17.4% 9.1%
Return on invested capital 17.1% 59.4% 32.9%
Return on capital employed 7.9% 29.3% 15.9%
Asset turnover 1.2x 2.1x 1.0x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 2.0x 1.6x 1.5x
Stock comp / revenue 0.7% 0.6% 0.6%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricCAKEEATDRI
Debt / assets 17.1% 15.9% 19.8%
Debt / equity 1.1x 1.0x 1.3x
Net debt / EBITDA 1.2x 0.4x 1.1x
Debt / FCF 2.7x 0.8x 2.5x
Liabilities / assets 84.2% 84.2% 84.4%
Equity / assets 15.8% 15.8% 15.6%
Interest coverage – 15.3x –
Current ratio 0.6x 0.5x 0.3x
Quick ratio 0.4x 0.3x 0.1x
Cash ratio 0.3x 0.2x 0.1x
Altman Z-score 3.10 4.97 2.47

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricCAKEEATDRI
Dividend yield 1.1% – 2.9%
Net buyback yield 0.6% 5.6% 2.8%
Shareholder yield 1.7% 5.6% 5.7%
Payout ratio (earnings) 31.0% – –
Payout ratio (FCF) 26.8% – –
Dividend growth (1Y) 4.0% – –
Dividend CAGR (3Y) – – –

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusCAKEEATDRI
Forward P/E 25.0xFY2026 13.6xFY2027 18.0xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $4.40FY2026 $13.84FY2027 $11.87FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +16.7%FY2026 +28.9%FY2027 +11.6%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +11.6% -0.8% +7.9%
Revenue, next fiscal year $3.82BFY2026 $5.99BFY2027 $14.53BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY +1.9%FY2026 +3.1%FY2027 +10.0%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +7.9% +12.2% -3.5%

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersCAKEEATDRI
Held by institutions 100.0% 100.0% 97.6%
Institutions holding 345 507 1,083
Change in shares held, QoQ -0.2% -1.4% +1.9%
Institutions buying 161 279 578
Institutions selling 118 160 325
Buyers to sellers 1.36 1.74 1.78

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

CAKEEATDRI
CAKE 1.00 0.53 0.62
EAT 0.53 1.00 0.49
DRI 0.62 0.49 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, CAKE, EAT and DRI?

Darden Restaurants (DRI) is the largest by market capitalisation: Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) $5.05B, Brinker International (EAT) $8.56B, Darden Restaurants (DRI) $24.26B.

Which stock is cheaper, CAKE, EAT and DRI?

Brinker International (EAT) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) 28.3x, Brinker International (EAT) 17.6x, Darden Restaurants (DRI) 20.5x). On next year's consensus earnings, Brinker International (EAT) is cheapest (Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) 25.0x, Brinker International (EAT) 13.6x, Darden Restaurants (DRI) 18.0x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Darden Restaurants (DRI) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) +5.7%, Brinker International (EAT) +7.9%, Darden Restaurants (DRI) +8.1%.

Which company is more profitable?

Darden Restaurants (DRI) has the highest net margin (Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) 4.6%, Brinker International (EAT) 8.4%, Darden Restaurants (DRI) 8.8%). On return on invested capital, Brinker International (EAT) leads (Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) 17.1%, Brinker International (EAT) 59.4%, Darden Restaurants (DRI) 32.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) returned the most: Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) +96.1%, Brinker International (EAT) +47.5%, Darden Restaurants (DRI) +15.4%. Over five years, Brinker International (EAT) compounded fastest (Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) +21.8%/yr, Brinker International (EAT) +34.4%/yr, Darden Restaurants (DRI) +8.2%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Only one of these companies pays a dividend: Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) 0.01%, Brinker International (EAT) 0.00%, Darden Restaurants (DRI) 0.00%. Brinker International (EAT) and Darden Restaurants (DRI) pays no regular dividend.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Darden Restaurants (DRI) has been the steadiest (Cheesecake Factory (CAKE) 39.8%, Brinker International (EAT) 49.5%, Darden Restaurants (DRI) 27.9%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, CAKE, EAT and DRI?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Brinker International (EAT) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.