Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN) Trading 4.9% Higher - Time to Buy?

Shares of The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) were up 4.9% on Monday . The stock traded as high as $15.90 and last traded at $15.96. Approximately 1,649,491 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 68% from the average daily volume of 5,121,864 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.21.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have commented on WEN shares. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "underweight" rating and issued a $14.00 price target (down from $22.00) on shares of Wendy's in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. BMO Capital Markets increased their price objective on shares of Wendy's from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Stephens reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $15.00 target price on shares of Wendy's in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Wendy's from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $17.00 price objective (down from $20.00) on shares of Wendy's in a report on Wednesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $18.42.

Remove Ads

Wendy's Stock Up 0.5 %

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 firm has a market cap of $3.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.41, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.77. The business's 50 day moving average price is $15.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.02.

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.01. Wendy's had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 75.56%. The firm had revenue of $574.27 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $564.17 million. On average, equities analysts forecast 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, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.42%. Wendy's's payout ratio is 105.26%.

Institutional Trading of Wendy's

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WEN. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of Wendy's by 39.6% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,690 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $65,000 after buying an additional 1,046 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in Wendy's by 1,562.9% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 32,710 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $573,000 after purchasing an additional 30,743 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Wendy's by 11.4% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 101,318 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $1,802,000 after purchasing an additional 10,378 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Wendy's by 275.7% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 150,462 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $2,636,000 after purchasing an additional 110,418 shares in the last quarter. Finally, State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in shares of Wendy's by 7.3% during the 3rd quarter. State of Alaska Department of Revenue now owns 19,827 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $347,000 after purchasing an additional 1,345 shares during the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wendy's Company 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.