The Wendy’s Company (WEN) To Go Ex-Dividend on December 1st

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, November 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.07 per share by the restaurant operator on Tuesday, December 15th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, December 1st.

Wendy’s has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.2% per year over the last three years. Wendy’s has a dividend payout ratio of 26.7% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Research analysts expect Wendy’s to earn $0.48 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.28 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 58.3%.

Wendy’s Stock Up 2.6%

WEN stock opened at $8.15 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.95, a quick ratio of 1.88 and a current ratio of 1.90. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $6.95 and its 200 day simple moving average is $7.36. Wendy’s has a fifty-two week low of $5.94 and a fifty-two week high of $10.12. The company has a market cap of $1.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.37.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.04. Wendy’s had a net margin of 5.72% and a return on equity of 115.31%. The company had revenue of $435.62 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $531.28 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.24 EPS. Wendy’s’s revenue for the quarter was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Wendy’s will post 0.50 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wendy’s

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Trian Fund Management L.P. acquired a new position in shares of Wendy’s in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $252,583,000. BlackRock Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 21.1% in the second quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 26,314,724 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $218,149,000 after buying an additional 4,576,075 shares during the period. State Street Corp raised its holdings in Wendy’s by 20.1% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 6,566,985 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $54,440,000 after buying an additional 1,101,063 shares during the last quarter. Bank of America Corp DE raised its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 5.6% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,493,752 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $31,232,000 after buying an additional 236,541 shares during the period. Finally, Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new position in Wendy’s during the first quarter valued at $26,062,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s Company Profile

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ: WEN) operates and franchises quick-service restaurants under the Wendy’s brand. Its restaurants are known for hamburgers made with fresh, never-frozen beef, along with chicken sandwiches, salads, fries, breakfast items, desserts, and beverages.

Founded by Dave Thomas in 1969, Wendy’s has grown into an international restaurant chain with locations primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as select markets in other countries. The company’s restaurant system includes both company-operated and franchised locations.

In addition to its restaurant operations, Wendy’s supports customers through digital ordering, delivery, loyalty programs, and mobile applications.