Spotlight: Cheesecake Factory’s Profit Won’t Meet Forecasts

Cheesecake Factory Inc., a restaurant chain operating in 11 states and the District of Columbia, said fiscal fourth-quarter earnings will be less than analysts’ estimates because of higher costs and a shift in sales to less-profitable baked goods. The Calabasas Hills-based firm expects to earn 14 cents to 16 cents a share in the quarter ended Dec. 29, below the 21-cent average estimate of analysts surveyed by First Call. Shares closed up 78 cents at $28.91 on Nasdaq. The announcement came after the market closed.