Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Given New $14.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) had its price target lowered by UBS Group from $16.00 to $14.00 in a report released on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also recently weighed in on WEN. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $15.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Argus raised shares of Wendy’s to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. TD Securities reissued a “hold” rating and set a $16.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Wendy’s presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.58.

Wendy’s Price Performance

WEN stock opened at $12.50 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.45 billion, a PE ratio of 13.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.61. The company’s 50-day moving average is $14.17 and its 200-day moving average is $15.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.83. Wendy’s has a 1 year low of $12.05 and a 1 year high of $20.65.

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

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.00%. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 105.26%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Alps Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of Wendy’s by 7.8% during the 1st quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 372,027 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,443,000 after buying an additional 26,761 shares during the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale lifted its holdings in Wendy’s by 22.0% during the 1st quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 7,223 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $105,000 after purchasing an additional 1,303 shares in the last quarter. OMNI 360 Wealth Inc. purchased a new stake in Wendy’s during the 1st quarter worth about $211,000. M&T Bank Corp lifted its holdings in Wendy’s by 49.1% during the 1st quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 15,677 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $229,000 after purchasing an additional 5,163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Wendy’s during the 1st quarter worth about $399,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

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.