Xponance Inc. Raises Stake in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN)

Xponance Inc. boosted its stake in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) by 7.9% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 27,325 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,004 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Wendy’s were worth $445,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MetLife Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 92,132 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,614,000 after purchasing an additional 590 shares during the period. Pacer Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 25,529 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $416,000 after buying an additional 717 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of Wendy’s by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 57,400 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $979,000 after buying an additional 797 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 15,634 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $255,000 after acquiring an additional 897 shares during the period. Finally, Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in Wendy’s by 46.4% in the 4th quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 985 shares during the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $17.00 target price (down previously from $20.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $17.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their target price on Wendy’s from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Truist Financial reduced their price target on Wendy’s from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, TD Securities reissued a “hold” rating and set a $16.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Friday, March 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $18.08.

Wendy’s Trading Up 1.3 %

NASDAQ WEN opened at $14.74 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $14.96 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.79. The Wendy’s Company has a twelve month low of $13.72 and a twelve month high of $20.65. The company has a market capitalization of $2.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.52, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.73.

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. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 75.56% and a net margin of 8.65%. The company had revenue of $574.27 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $564.17 million. Research analysts forecast that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is presently 105.26%.

About Wendy’s

The Wendy’s Co engages in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants. It operates through the following segments: Wendy’s U.S., Wendy’s International, and Global Real Estate and Development. The Wendy’s U.S. segment includes the operation and franchising of Wendy’s restaurants in the U.S.