Entropy Technologies LP Acquires Shares of 78,430 The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN)

Entropy Technologies LP bought a new stake in The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Free Report) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 78,430 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $1,374,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of WEN. Venturi Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 423.5% in the 3rd quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,083 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $107,000 after buying an additional 4,921 shares during the period. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D boosted its stake in shares of Wendy's by 6.9% during the 3rd quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 117,025 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $2,050,000 after acquiring an additional 7,558 shares in the last quarter. Atria Investments Inc grew its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 78.7% in the 3rd quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 94,442 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $1,655,000 after acquiring an additional 41,586 shares during the period. Capital Performance Advisors LLP purchased a new position in Wendy's in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $220,000. Finally, Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Wendy's by 9.1% during the third quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 105,952 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $1,856,000 after purchasing an additional 8,876 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.96% of the company's stock.

Wendy's Trading Up 0.3 %

Wendy's stock traded up $0.06 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $18.48. The stock had a trading volume of 2,905,468 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,528,861. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $18.47 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.71. The Wendy's Company has a twelve month low of $15.61 and a twelve month high of $20.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.64, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a current ratio of 2.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.77 billion, a PE ratio of 19.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.79.

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

Wendy's Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.41%. Wendy's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 105.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Tigress Financial reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $29.00 target price on shares of Wendy's in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Wendy's from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Wendy's from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Wendy's from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and set a $19.00 price objective on shares of Wendy's in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Wendy's presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target 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.