AdvisorShares Investments LLC Buys Shares of 40,100 The Wendy’s Company $WEN

AdvisorShares Investments LLC bought a new stake in shares of The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor bought 40,100 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $458,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WEN. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in Wendy’s by 7,180.9% during the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,422 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 3,375 shares during the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 25.2% during the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 5,336 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $61,000 after purchasing an additional 1,074 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 91.0% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,266 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 2,033 shares during the period. Covestor Ltd lifted its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 25.8% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 5,069 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,038 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 356.9% during the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 7,246 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $83,000 after purchasing an additional 5,660 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s Trading Down 1.4%

NASDAQ:WEN opened at $8.51 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $9.47 and its two-hundred day moving average is $10.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.74, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The Wendy’s Company has a 12 month low of $8.39 and a 12 month high of $20.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.62 billion, a PE ratio of 8.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.38.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 8th. The restaurant operator reported $0.29 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.25 by $0.04. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 103.07% and a net margin of 8.63%.The company had revenue of $560.93 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $558.95 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.27 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Wendy’s has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.820-0.89 EPS. Research analysts predict that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd were given a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 2nd. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.6%. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 58.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have weighed in on WEN. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on Wendy’s from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, October 13th. Argus reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Wendy’s from $13.00 to $14.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 28th. Citigroup raised Wendy’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, fourteen have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $11.45.

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.