Restaurants

According to Sterne Agee, the Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ: CAKE) Buy rating is maintained. Sterne Agee said that its revenue estimate is $435.8 million, which assumes a blended SSS estimate of +2.5% (lapping +1.6% in 2Q10). “CAKE is scheduled to release 2Q11 earnings results at after the market...

Piper Jaffray is out with its report today on Sonic (NASDAQ: SONC), reiterating Overweight. In a note to clients, Piper Jaffray writes, "We are incrementally confident in our turnaround thesis and, more specifically, in our fiscal 4Q11 same-store sales estimate of +2.0% (at company-owned units)....

Tilman J. Fertitta announced today that he is terminating, effective immediately, his previously announced tender offer to acquire, through his affiliate LSRI Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of Landry's, Inc. all of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of McCormick & Schmick's Seafood...

Shares of Brinker International (NYSE: EAT) are lower on the session by 0.24%, currently trading at $25.43. The stock has been moving largely higher over the past six months and is currently trading above the 50-day moving average. Options traders are buying puts on the name today. A short while...

Morgan Keegan is out with its report today on Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD), raising its PT from $70 to $78. In a note to clients, Morgan Keegan writes, "Our price target of $78 is based on 24x our 2012 EPS projection (~9x our 2012 EV/EBITDA). We believe BWLD warrants a premium to its peer...

Morgan Keegan has raised the price target on Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD) from $70 to $78 and maintains its Outperform rating.

Credit Suisse made a number of updates in a research report published today. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold (NYSE: FCX) had its rating assumed with an Outperform rating and a price target of $75. On Thursday, FCX lost 1.17% of its value to end the day at $54.25. Its shares continued to slide...

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. (Nasdaq: CBRL) announced today that a cost reduction and organization streamlining initiative has resulted in the elimination of approximately 60 management and staff positions. Most of the employees affected by the layoff worked in the Company's home office...

On CNBC's Fast Money, Stephen Weiss said that he wants to buy QUALCOMM, Inc. (NASDAQ: QCOM) on Friday. QUALCOMM, Inc. (QCOM) fell 2.09%, and closed at $54.92. Mike Khouw thinks that you should take a short position in Dell Inc. (NASDAQ: DELL) tomorrow. Dell Inc. (DELL) gained 0.97%, and closed at...

Shire plc (NASDAQ: SHPGY) shares rose 1.41% to create a new 52-week high of $100.52. SHPGY's trailing-twelve-month ROE is 26.25%. Infinity Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: INFI) shares gained 0.56% to create a new 52-week high of $9.05. INFI had $90.52 million in total cash and no debt for the latest...

Shares of Electronic Arts Inc (NASDAQ: ERTS) dropped about 2.3% after the company announced its plans to offer $550 million of Convertible Senior Notes due 2016 in a private placement. Shares of Yum! Brands Inc (NYSE: YUM) gained about 3% after the company reported a 10% rise in its second-quarter...

According to Morgan Stanley, Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) 2Q results played out as expected, but in extremes — China's comps — +18% — were far better than even bullish prognostications, while the US was worse as profits declined 28% on a 4% SSS decline. Morgan Stanley said that on balance, this quarter...

ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) shares advanced 10.35% to $82.10 in the pre-market session. COP announced its plans to split off its refining unit into a separate, publicly-traded company. Yum! Brands Inc (NYSE: YUM) shares advanced 2.66% to $57.06 in the pre-market session. YUM reported a 10% rise in...

JP Morgan reiterated its Overweight rating on Yum Brands (NYSE: YUM). At the same time, the rating agency raised its price target on the company's stock from $56 to $61. On Wednesday, YUM added 1.09% to its value to end the day at $55.58. Its shares continued to climb in today's pre-market trading...

US stock futures are mixed this morning, as investors are awaiting quarterly results from JP Morgan Chase & Co (NYSE: JPM). Futures on the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 12 points to 12,413.00 and futures on the S&P 500 stock index fell 1.40 points to 1,310.80. Nasdaq 100 futures...