The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Stake Reduced by S.A. Mason LLC

S.A. Mason LLC trimmed its stake in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) by 9.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 6,800 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 700 shares during the quarter. S.A. Mason LLC’s holdings in Wendy’s were worth $132,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in Wendy’s by 112.0% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,444 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 763 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Wendy’s in the first quarter worth approximately $30,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. bought a new position in Wendy’s during the 1st quarter valued at $30,000. Spire Wealth Management increased its position in shares of Wendy’s by 203.2% during the 3rd quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,516 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,016 shares during the period. Finally, Quarry LP raised its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 217.4% in the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 1,403 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 961 shares in the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wendy’s Price Performance

Wendy’s stock opened at $18.90 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $18.68 and a 200-day moving average of $19.17. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.29, a PEG ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 0.81. The Wendy’s Company has a 1 year low of $17.64 and a 1 year high of $23.90. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.66.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The restaurant operator reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.23 by ($0.02). The company had revenue of $540.65 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $546.47 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 9.37% and a return on equity of 56.24%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.22 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.29%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is 102.04%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Kenneth W. Gilbert sold 4,500 shares of Wendy’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.07, for a total transaction of $81,315.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 31,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $565,663.28. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 20.10% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on WEN. Gordon Haskett cut shares of Wendy’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $21.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, January 16th. Barclays lowered Wendy’s from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their price target for the company from $23.00 to $21.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Wedbush cut their price objective on Wendy’s from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 16th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Stephens dropped their price target on Wendy’s from $22.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 15th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.63.

Wendy’s Company Profile

The Wendy's Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a quick-service restaurant company in the United States and internationally. It operates through Wendy's U.S., Wendy's International, and Global Real Estate & Development segments. The company is involved in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants specializing in hamburger sandwiches.