MQS Management LLC Purchases Shares of 14,607 The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN)

MQS Management LLC acquired a new position in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 14,607 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $248,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in Wendy’s by 22.2% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,220 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 586 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in Wendy’s by 1.5% during the 2nd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 48,893 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $829,000 after acquiring an additional 711 shares during the period. Private Wealth Strategies L.L.C. boosted its stake in Wendy’s by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Private Wealth Strategies L.L.C. now owns 17,867 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $348,000 after acquiring an additional 789 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its holdings in Wendy’s by 5.6% in the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 15,170 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 801 shares during the period. Finally, State of Michigan Retirement System increased its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 2.2% during the first quarter. State of Michigan Retirement System now owns 40,985 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $772,000 after purchasing an additional 900 shares in the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wendy’s Stock Down 2.4 %

WEN opened at $17.44 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $17.09 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $17.69. The company has a market capitalization of $3.58 billion, a PE ratio of 17.62, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.80. The Wendy’s Company has a 1-year low of $15.61 and a 1-year high of $20.84. The company has a current ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.01.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The restaurant operator reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by ($0.01). Wendy’s had a return on equity of 67.74% and a net margin of 9.18%. The company had revenue of $570.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $577.15 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.28 earnings per share. Wendy’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.98 EPS for the current year.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.73%. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 101.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently commented on the company. Wolfe Research raised Wendy’s to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Loop Capital reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $26.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Monday, July 15th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Wendy’s from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.24.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Wendy’s news, Director Matthew H. Peltz sold 1,000,000 shares of Wendy’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, August 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $17.18, for a total transaction of $17,180,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 14,943,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $256,728,745.88. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 17.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wendy’s Company 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.