Quantbot Technologies LP Boosts Holdings in The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN)

Quantbot Technologies LP increased its stake in The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Free Report) by 105.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 128,959 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after buying an additional 66,071 shares during the quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP owned 0.06% of Wendy's worth $2,102,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Wendy's by 670.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,402 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,220 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Wendy's in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in 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 buying an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 985 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 2,334.5% in the fourth quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC now owns 4,869 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $79,000 after acquiring an additional 4,669 shares during the period. 85.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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Wendy's Trading Up 1.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ WEN traded up $0.27 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $15.01. The stock had a trading volume of 3,279,644 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,986,442. The firm has a market cap of $3.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a current ratio of 1.85. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $14.96 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $16.79. The Wendy's Company has a 1 year low of $13.72 and a 1 year high of $20.65.

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $574.27 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $564.17 million. Wendy's had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 75.56%. 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 business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.66%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Wendy's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 105.26%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WEN has been the topic of several analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on Wendy's from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on shares of Wendy's from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $17.00 price target (down from $20.00) on shares of Wendy's in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating and issued a $14.00 price target (down previously from $22.00) on shares of Wendy's in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price objective on Wendy's from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Wendy's has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $18.08.

Wendy's Company Profile

The Wendy's Co engages in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants. It operates through the following segments: Wendy's U.S., Wendy's International, and Global Real Estate and Development. The Wendy's U.S. segment includes the operation and franchising of Wendy's restaurants in the U.S.