Gordon David M 4

What Happened

• David M. Gordon, President of Cheesecake Factory (CAKE), had a total of 8,850 shares withheld by the company to satisfy tax withholding tied to the vesting of equity awards. The withholding occurred on Feb 16, 2026, at $58.67 per share: 5,288 shares (≈ $310,247) and 3,562 shares (≈ $208,983), for a combined value of about $519,230. These are disposals for tax purposes (transaction code F), not open-market sales.

Key Details

• Transaction date and price: Feb 16, 2026 — 5,288 shares @ $58.67 and 3,562 shares @ $58.67.
• Total shares withheld/disposed: 8,850; total value ≈ $519,230.
• Shares owned after transaction: not disclosed in this filing.
• Footnotes: F1 = withholding for Restricted Stock Awards; F2 = withholding for Performance Share Awards; F3 notes restricted stock subject to forfeiture.
• Filing timeliness: Report filed Feb 17, 2026 (timely); this appears to be routine tax withholding rather than a voluntary market sale.

Context

• This transaction reflects company withholding to cover tax liabilities from the net issuance of vested restricted and performance shares (a common, administrative practice). It does not necessarily indicate a personal decision to sell shares on the open market and is generally considered routine rather than a directional insider trade.