The Wendy’s Company $WEN Shares Sold by Voya Investment Management LLC

Voya Investment Management LLC lessened its holdings in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) by 56.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 329,663 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 431,479 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC owned about 0.17% of Wendy’s worth $3,020,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WEN. Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its holdings in Wendy’s by 161.8% in the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 7,821 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $114,000 after purchasing an additional 4,834 shares in the last quarter. American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in shares of Wendy’s by 42.2% in the first quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 50,383 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $737,000 after buying an additional 14,955 shares during the period. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the first quarter worth about $171,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 345.4% in the first quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 54,189 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $793,000 after buying an additional 42,023 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 39.1% during the 1st quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 18,463 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $270,000 after buying an additional 5,192 shares during the period. 85.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wendy’s Stock Up 0.7%

WEN stock opened at $8.35 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 26.89. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $8.53 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.69. The company has a market capitalization of $1.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.88, a PEG ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 0.39. The Wendy’s Company has a twelve month low of $7.83 and a twelve month high of $16.66.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The restaurant operator reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $442.50 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $535.75 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 8.43% and a return on equity of 125.74%. The firm’s revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.25 EPS. Wendy’s has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.820-0.890 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.7%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently commented on WEN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $9.00 price target (down from $12.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Mizuho assumed coverage on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Monday, October 27th. They set an “underperform” rating and a $8.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial set a $12.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Tuesday, October 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $9.00 to $8.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $12.00 to $11.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, seventeen have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $10.57.

About Wendy’s

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) operates as a global quick-service restaurant chain, best known for its square-shaped beef patties, fresh ingredient sourcing and signature Frosty dessert. The company’s menu features a variety of hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, breakfast sandwiches, sides and beverages, designed to appeal to a broad customer base seeking both classic and contemporary fast-food options. Wendy’s has placed particular emphasis on product innovation, introducing limited-time offerings and revamped core menu items to maintain customer interest and respond to evolving dining trends.

Founded in 1969 by entrepreneur Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio, Wendy’s expanded rapidly through both company-owned and franchised outlets.