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Side-by-side financial comparison of CHEESECAKE FACTORY INC (CAKE) and FORWARD AIR CORP (FWRD). Click either name above to swap in a different company.
CHEESECAKE FACTORY INC is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($978.8M vs $631.2M, roughly 1.6× FORWARD AIR CORP). CHEESECAKE FACTORY INC runs the higher net margin — 5.1% vs -4.5%, a 9.5% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, CHEESECAKE FACTORY INC posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (5.6% vs -0.3%). Over the past eight quarters, CHEESECAKE FACTORY INC's revenue compounded faster (8.6% CAGR vs 7.9%).
The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated is an American restaurant company and distributor of cheesecakes based in the United States. It operates 370 full-service restaurants: 218 under the Cheesecake Factory brand, 47 under the North Italia brand, and 105 under other brands. The Cheesecake Factory also operates two bakery production facilities—in Calabasas, California, and Rocky Mount, North Carolina.
Forward Air Corp is a leading North American asset-light logistics and transportation provider. It offers core services including expedited less-than-truckload freight delivery, final-mile logistics, intermodal transport, warehousing, and supply chain solutions, serving key sectors such as e-commerce, retail, manufacturing, and automotive across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.
CAKE vs FWRD — Head-to-Head
Income Statement — Q1 FY2026 vs Q4 FY2025
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Revenue | $978.8M | $631.2M |
| Net Profit | $49.5M | $-28.3M |
| Gross Margin | — | — |
| Operating Margin | 5.6% | -0.5% |
| Net Margin | 5.1% | -4.5% |
| Revenue YoY | 5.6% | -0.3% |
| Net Profit YoY | 50.4% | 22.2% |
| EPS (diluted) | $1.02 | $-0.90 |
Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.
8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend
Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.
| Q1 26 | $978.8M | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $631.2M | ||
| Q3 25 | $907.2M | $631.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $927.2M | $618.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $613.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $865.5M | $632.8M | ||
| Q3 24 | $904.0M | $655.9M | ||
| Q2 24 | $891.2M | $643.7M |
| Q1 26 | $49.5M | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $-28.3M | ||
| Q3 25 | $31.9M | $-16.3M | ||
| Q2 25 | $32.9M | $-12.6M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $-50.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $30.0M | $-36.4M | ||
| Q3 24 | $52.4M | $-73.4M | ||
| Q2 24 | $33.2M | $-645.4M |
| Q1 26 | 5.6% | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | -0.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | 4.1% | 2.4% | ||
| Q2 25 | 5.6% | 3.2% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | 0.8% | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.9% | 12.0% | ||
| Q3 24 | 6.5% | 3.5% | ||
| Q2 24 | 4.4% | -170.2% |
| Q1 26 | 5.1% | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | -4.5% | ||
| Q3 25 | 3.5% | -2.6% | ||
| Q2 25 | 3.6% | -2.0% | ||
| Q1 25 | — | -8.3% | ||
| Q4 24 | 3.5% | -5.8% | ||
| Q3 24 | 5.8% | -11.2% | ||
| Q2 24 | 3.7% | -100.3% |
| Q1 26 | $1.02 | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $-0.90 | ||
| Q3 25 | $0.66 | $-0.52 | ||
| Q2 25 | $0.67 | $-0.41 | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $-1.68 | ||
| Q4 24 | $0.61 | $-1.69 | ||
| Q3 24 | $1.08 | $-2.66 | ||
| Q2 24 | $0.68 | $-23.47 |
Balance Sheet & Financial Strength
Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.
| Metric | | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand | $235.1M | $106.0M |
| Total DebtLower is stronger | — | $1.7B |
| Stockholders' EquityBook value | — | $113.3M |
| Total Assets | — | $2.7B |
| Debt / EquityLower = less leverage | — | 14.89× |
8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.
| Q1 26 | $235.1M | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $106.0M | ||
| Q3 25 | $190.0M | $140.4M | ||
| Q2 25 | $135.4M | $95.1M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $116.3M | ||
| Q4 24 | $52.2M | $104.9M | ||
| Q3 24 | $40.7M | $136.6M | ||
| Q2 24 | $60.2M | $84.9M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $1.7B | ||
| Q3 25 | — | $1.7B | ||
| Q2 25 | — | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | — | ||
| Q4 24 | — | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | — | ||
| Q2 24 | — | — |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $113.3M | ||
| Q3 25 | $425.3M | $139.8M | ||
| Q2 25 | $339.4M | $151.8M | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $154.6M | ||
| Q4 24 | $396.4M | $201.7M | ||
| Q3 24 | $374.0M | $226.1M | ||
| Q2 24 | $332.4M | $283.8M |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | $2.7B | ||
| Q3 25 | $3.2B | $2.8B | ||
| Q2 25 | $3.1B | $2.8B | ||
| Q1 25 | — | $2.8B | ||
| Q4 24 | $2.9B | $2.8B | ||
| Q3 24 | $2.9B | $3.1B | ||
| Q2 24 | $2.8B | $3.1B |
| Q1 26 | — | — | ||
| Q4 25 | — | 14.89× | ||
| Q3 25 | — | 12.05× | ||
| Q2 25 | — | — | ||
| Q1 25 | — | — | ||
| Q4 24 | — | — | ||
| Q3 24 | — | — | ||
| Q2 24 | — | — |
Financial Flow Comparison
Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.
Revenue Breakdown by Segment
CAKE
Segment breakdown not available.
FWRD
| Omni Logistics Segment | $359.8M | 57% |
| Network | $183.9M | 29% |
| Intermodal Segment | $50.2M | 8% |
| Truckload | $41.6M | 7% |
