The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) have received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the nineteen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, twelve have given a hold recommendation, four have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $19.71.

Several analysts have commented on the stock. BMO Capital Markets increased their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $18.00 to $18.75 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $19.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $14.00 price target (down previously from $22.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Tuesday, January 21st.

Wendy’s Stock Up 0.6 %

NASDAQ:WEN opened at $14.30 on Friday. Wendy’s has a 1-year low of $13.98 and a 1-year high of $20.65. The company has a 50-day moving average of $16.58 and a 200 day moving average of $17.37. The firm has a market cap of $2.91 billion, a PE ratio of 15.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.64, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 2.08.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25. The company had revenue of $566.70 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $560.50 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 8.76% and a return on equity of 70.02%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.27 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Wendy’s will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.99%. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 105.26%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WEN. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Wendy’s by 670.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,402 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 1,220 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in shares of Wendy’s during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Wendy’s during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in shares of Wendy’s by 168.1% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AM Squared Ltd purchased a new position in shares of Wendy’s during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s Company Profile

The Wendy’s Co engages in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants. It offers hamburgers and related products, such as chicken breast sandwiches, nuggets, chili, and baked potatoes, French fries, freshly prepared salads, soft drinks, milk, coffee, frosty deserts, and kid’s meals.