The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Shares Sold by Vanguard Group Inc.

Vanguard Group Inc. decreased its position in The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Free Report) by 4.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,098,155 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 930,189 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 10.35% of Wendy's worth $343,900,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Wendy's by 670.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,402 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,220 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Wendy's in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 168.1% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,400 shares during the last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Wendy's during the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in Wendy's by 46.4% in the 4th quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 985 shares during the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wendy's Stock Down 5.5 %

Shares of NASDAQ WEN traded down $0.77 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $13.30. 6,413,885 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,111,681. The company has a market cap of $2.67 billion, a PE ratio of 14.00, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.61. The Wendy's Company has a 12 month low of $13.22 and a 12 month high of $20.65. 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 firm has a fifty day moving average price of $14.97 and a 200-day moving average price of $16.65.

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Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $574.27 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $564.17 million. Wendy's had a return on equity of 75.56% and a net margin of 8.65%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Wendy's Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Wendy's Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Wendy's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 105.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Wendy's from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Barclays boosted their target price on Wendy's from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. 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 report on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Wendy's from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "underweight" rating and set a $14.00 target price (down from $22.00) on shares of Wendy's in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price 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.