Centiva Capital LP Purchases Shares of 43,420 The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN)

Centiva Capital LP acquired a new stake in The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Free Report) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 43,420 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $761,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in Wendy's during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Wendy's during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Wendy's in the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in Wendy's by 94.7% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,644 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AM Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Wendy's during the third quarter worth $49,000. 85.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wendy's Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ WEN traded down $0.21 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $17.48. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,326,622 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,274,168. The Wendy's Company has a fifty-two week low of $15.61 and a fifty-two week high of $20.65. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $18.69 and a 200-day simple moving average of $17.59. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.40, a PEG ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.64.

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.25. Wendy's had a return on equity of 70.02% and a net margin of 8.76%. The company had revenue of $566.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $560.50 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.27 EPS. Wendy's's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that The Wendy's Company will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Wendy's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.72%. Wendy's's payout ratio is 105.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Tigress Financial reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $29.00 target price on shares of Wendy's in a research report on Wednesday, September 4th. Stephens reiterated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $19.00 price objective on shares of Wendy's in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their target price on Wendy's from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Wendy's from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Wedbush reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $20.00 price objective on shares of Wendy's in a research report on Friday, November 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $20.36.

About Wendy's

The Wendy's Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a quick-service restaurant company in the United States and internationally. It operates through Wendy's U.S., Wendy's International, and Global Real Estate & Development segments. The company is involved in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants specializing in hamburger sandwiches.