Cheesecake Factory (Nasdaq: CAKE) is expected to report Q4 earnings on Feb. 20. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
 Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Cheesecake Factory's revenues will drop -2.0% and EPS will wither -1.9%.

The average estimate for revenue is $468.3 million. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.52.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Cheesecake Factory tallied revenue of $453.8 million. GAAP reported sales were 5.4% higher than the prior-year quarter's $430.4 million.

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

EPS details
 Last quarter, EPS came in at $0.49. GAAP EPS of $0.49 for Q3 were 36% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.36 per share.

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

Recent performance
 For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 43.3%, 100 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 8.7%, 170 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 6.0%, 120 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $1.81 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.90.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a three-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 504 members out of 636 rating the stock outperform, and 132 members rating it underperform. Among 190 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 174 give Cheesecake Factory a green thumbs-up, and 16 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 $35.00.

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