15,734 Shares in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Acquired by Sciencast Management LP

Sciencast Management LP bought a new position in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 15,734 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $256,000.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WEN. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 62.5% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 35,726 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $626,000 after buying an additional 13,747 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the 3rd quarter worth $258,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 56,603 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $992,000 after buying an additional 1,794 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 1,653.5% in the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 376,978 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $6,605,000 after buying an additional 355,480 shares during the period. Finally, Cerity Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 202.6% in the 3rd quarter. Cerity Partners LLC now owns 253,036 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $4,433,000 after buying an additional 169,407 shares during the period. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wendy’s Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of WEN stock opened at $15.26 on Monday. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $14.98 and its 200-day simple moving average is $16.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a current ratio of 1.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.06 billion, a PE ratio of 16.06, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.73. The Wendy’s Company has a fifty-two week low of $13.72 and a fifty-two week high of $20.65.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $574.27 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $564.17 million. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 75.56% and a net margin of 8.65%. Equities analysts expect that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.55%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 105.26%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on WEN shares. Barclays upped their price objective on Wendy’s from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $17.00 price objective (down from $20.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Wendy’s from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $17.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $14.00 price objective (down from $22.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Wendy’s currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $18.08.

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.