Cheesecake Factory (Nasdaq: CAKE) reported earnings on July 25. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
 For the quarter ended July 3 (Q2), Cheesecake Factory met expectations on revenues and beat expectations on earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue grew and GAAP earnings per share grew significantly.

Margins increased across the board.

Revenue details
 Cheesecake Factory notched revenue of $454.7 million. The 22 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated a top line of $456.9 million on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 5.6% higher than the prior-year quarter's $430.7 million.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
 EPS came in at $0.51. The 23 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ anticipated $0.49 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.52 for Q2 were 24% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.42 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
 For the quarter, gross margin was 43.5%, 140 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 9.0%, 80 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 6.2%, 50 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $459.1 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.47.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $1.83 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.88.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a two-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 500 members out of 633 rating the stock outperform, and 133 members rating it underperform. Among 189 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 165 give Cheesecake Factory a green thumbs-up, and 24 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Cheesecake Factory is hold, with an average price target of $33.68.

Over the decades, small-cap stocks, like Cheesecake Factory have provided market-beating returns, provided they're value priced and have solid businesses. Read about a pair of companies with a lock on their markets in "Too Small to Fail: Two Small Caps the Government Won't Let Go Broke." Click here for instant access to this free report.