The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Shares Sold by Tidal Investments LLC

Tidal Investments LLC lowered its position in shares of The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) by 26.9% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 10,133 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 3,733 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC’s holdings in Wendy’s were worth $178,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Wendy’s during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Quarry LP bought a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the second quarter worth $30,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the second quarter worth $33,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in Wendy’s by 94.7% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,644 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 1,286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AM Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Wendy’s during the 3rd quarter worth $49,000. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wendy’s Trading Up 0.9 %

Shares of WEN stock opened at $16.63 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.39 billion, a PE ratio of 17.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.64, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a current ratio of 2.10. The Wendy’s Company has a 1 year low of $15.61 and a 1 year high of $20.65. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $18.38 and a two-hundred day moving average of $17.56.

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

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.01%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is currently 105.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on WEN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $20.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Wolfe Research upgraded Wendy’s to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $29.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $19.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Tuesday, November 19th. 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $20.36.

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.