The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Shares Sold by Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC

Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC lessened its stake in The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Free Report) by 7.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 782,621 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 64,895 shares during the quarter. Horizon Kinetics Asset Management LLC owned 0.38% of Wendy's worth $12,757,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in Wendy's by 670.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,402 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 1,220 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Wendy's during the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 168.1% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares during the last quarter. AM Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Wendy's during the 3rd quarter worth about $49,000. Finally, Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Wendy's by 46.4% during the fourth quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 985 shares during the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wendy's Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WEN traded down $0.17 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $15.26. The company had a trading volume of 5,919,009 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,955,788. The company has a quick ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.84. The Wendy's Company has a twelve month low of $13.72 and a twelve month high of $20.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.73.

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Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. Wendy's had a return on equity of 75.56% and a net margin of 8.65%. The business had revenue of $574.27 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $564.17 million. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Wendy's Company will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Wendy's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.55%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Wendy's's dividend payout ratio is currently 105.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on WEN shares. Barclays increased their price target on shares of Wendy's from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Wedbush reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $16.00 target price on shares of Wendy's in a research report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Wendy's from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating and set a $14.00 price target (down previously from $22.00) on shares of Wendy's in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reissued a "sector perform" rating and issued a $17.00 price objective on shares of Wendy's in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Wendy's presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $18.08.

Wendy's Profile

The Wendy's Co engages in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants. It offers hamburgers and related products, such as chicken breast sandwiches, nuggets, chili, and baked potatoes, French fries, freshly prepared salads, soft drinks, milk, coffee, frosty deserts, and kid's meals.