Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA Has $18.60 Million Stake in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN)

Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA reduced its position in shares of The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) by 0.7% in the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,061,703 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 7,374 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA’s holdings in Wendy’s were worth $18,601,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisors Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Wendy’s by 187.0% during the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 208,880 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,660,000 after purchasing an additional 136,112 shares in the last quarter. AMG National Trust Bank acquired a new stake in Wendy’s during the third quarter worth approximately $1,091,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in Wendy’s by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 56,603 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $992,000 after acquiring an additional 1,794 shares during the period. Claro Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Wendy’s in the 3rd quarter valued at $394,000. Finally, AM Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Wendy’s during the 3rd quarter valued at $49,000. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wendy’s Stock Performance

Shares of Wendy’s stock opened at $18.58 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $3.79 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.79. The Wendy’s Company has a twelve month low of $15.61 and a twelve month high of $20.65. The company’s fifty day moving average is $18.61 and its 200 day moving average is $17.60. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.64.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25. The firm had revenue of $566.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $560.50 million. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 70.02% and a net margin of 8.76%. The business’s revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.27 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.38%. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 105.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on WEN shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on Wendy’s from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $20.00 to $18.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $29.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Wendy’s from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Wendy’s presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $20.36.

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.