The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Shares Sold by Dean Investment Associates LLC

Dean Investment Associates LLC decreased its holdings in shares of The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Free Report) by 21.2% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 228,854 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 61,722 shares during the quarter. Dean Investment Associates LLC owned about 0.11% of Wendy's worth $4,010,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Tidal Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Wendy's by 10.9% during the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 16,079 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $303,000 after purchasing an additional 1,577 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC increased its position in Wendy's by 312.2% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 49,436 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $838,000 after acquiring an additional 37,443 shares during the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Wendy's by 221.0% in the second quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 41,094 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $697,000 after acquiring an additional 28,294 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 52.0% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 40,044 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $679,000 after acquiring an additional 13,703 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new position in shares of Wendy's during the 2nd quarter worth about $17,094,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.96% of the company's stock.

Wendy's Stock Down 1.2 %

NASDAQ WEN traded down $0.21 during trading on Friday, hitting $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 company has a market cap of $3.56 billion, a PE ratio of 18.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.64, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 2.08. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $18.69 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.59.

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25. The company had revenue of $566.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $560.50 million. Wendy's had a net margin of 8.76% and a return on equity of 70.02%. Wendy's's revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.27 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Wendy's Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy's Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have issued reports on WEN. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Wendy's from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Wendy's from $18.00 to $18.75 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Wendy's to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Tigress Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $29.00 price objective on shares of Wendy's in a research note on Wednesday, September 4th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price objective on Wendy's from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $20.36.

Wendy's Profile

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.