Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Given New $19.00 Price Target at Stifel Nicolaus

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) had its target price decreased by Stifel Nicolaus from $20.00 to $19.00 in a research report sent to investors on Friday, Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a hold rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

A number of other research analysts have also recently issued reports on WEN. The Goldman Sachs Group initiated coverage on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Thursday, June 13th. They issued a sell rating and a $16.00 target price for the company. Stephens reduced their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an equal weight rating on the stock in a research report on Friday. UBS Group raised their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a research report on Friday, May 3rd. Loop Capital reiterated a buy rating and issued a $26.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Wendy’s from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Wendy’s presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $20.28.

Wendy’s Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of WEN stock opened at $16.88 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $16.86 and a 200-day moving average of $18.13. The stock has a market cap of $3.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.76. Wendy’s has a 52-week low of $15.61 and a 52-week high of $22.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.01, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 2.17.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The restaurant operator reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by ($0.01). Wendy’s had a return on equity of 67.74% and a net margin of 9.18%. The business had revenue of $570.73 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $577.15 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.28 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Wendy’s will post 1 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 3rd. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is 101.01%.

Insider Activity at Wendy’s

In other news, CMO Juan Carlos Loredo sold 44,806 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.50, for a total transaction of $873,717.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 27,586 shares in the company, valued at approximately $537,927. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. 17.10% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 213.6% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 16,531 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $322,000 after purchasing an additional 11,260 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp raised its position in Wendy’s by 58.0% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,352 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 863 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Wendy’s by 1,807.8% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 48,057 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $936,000 after acquiring an additional 45,538 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors grew its position in shares of Wendy’s by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors now owns 20,320 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $396,000 after acquiring an additional 915 shares during the period. Finally, Highlander Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 250.0% during the 4th quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 1,400 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 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 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.