Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Shares Down 2.1% – Here’s What Happened

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN)’s stock price traded down 2.1% on Monday . The stock traded as low as $15.04 and last traded at $14.94. 270,657 shares changed hands during 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

A number of research analysts have commented on the company. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Wendy’s from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Argus raised shares of Wendy’s to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $17.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Two research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $18.08.

Wendy’s Stock Down 3.5 %

The company has a market capitalization of $2.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.83. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $14.97 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.80.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last issued its 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. The business 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.87%. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 105.26%.

Institutional Trading of Wendy’s

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

About Wendy’s

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.