GAMMA Investing LLC Has $36,000 Stake in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN)

GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in shares of The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) by 168.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 2,233 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after buying an additional 1,400 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC’s holdings in Wendy’s were worth $36,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of Wendy’s during the second quarter worth $27,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Wendy’s during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. AM Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Wendy’s during the third quarter worth about $49,000. Signaturefd LLC increased its position in shares of Wendy’s by 39.6% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,690 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $65,000 after buying an additional 1,046 shares during the period. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in Wendy’s by 21.2% during the third quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 5,432 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $95,000 after buying an additional 949 shares during the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wendy’s Stock Performance

Shares of WEN stock opened at $15.13 on Wednesday. The Wendy’s Company has a 52 week low of $14.73 and a 52 week high of $20.65. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.64. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $17.39 and a 200-day moving average price of $17.49. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.08 billion, a PE ratio of 15.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.78.

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

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.61%. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 105.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the stock. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $19.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 10th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Wendy’s from $18.00 to $18.75 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. UBS Group dropped their target price on Wendy’s from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on Wendy’s from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Wendy’s has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $20.04.

Wendy’s Profile

The Wendy's Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a quick-service restaurant company in the United States and internationally. It operates through Wendy's U.S., Wendy's International, and Global Real Estate & Development segments. The company is involved in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants specializing in hamburger sandwiches.