Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Trading Down 2.1% – What’s Next?

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN)’s stock price fell 2.1% during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $15.04 and last traded at $14.94. 270,657 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 93% from the average session volume of 3,948,186 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.26.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently issued reports on WEN. TD Securities reissued a “hold” rating and set a $16.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $17.00 price objective (down previously from $20.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $17.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Argus upgraded Wendy’s to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and set a $14.00 price target (down previously from $22.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $18.08.

Wendy’s Trading Down 0.9 %

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 stock has a market cap of $3.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $16.83.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $574.27 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $564.17 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.61%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 105.26%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wendy’s

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WEN. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Wendy’s by 85.5% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 279,041 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $4,548,000 after purchasing an additional 128,579 shares during the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC acquired a new position in Wendy’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $184,000. Probity Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. now owns 14,253 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $232,000 after purchasing an additional 2,564 shares during the period. Neo Ivy Capital Management acquired a new stake in Wendy’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $3,723,000. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new stake in Wendy’s in the 4th quarter valued at $171,000. 85.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Wendy’s

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.