BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. Purchases New Position in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN)

BW Gestao de Investimentos Ltda. bought a new position in shares of The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 69,000 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,125,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Wendy’s by 670.3% in the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,402 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,220 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Wendy’s in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in Wendy’s by 168.1% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Wendy’s during the fourth quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Wendy’s by 46.4% during the 4th quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 985 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s Stock Performance

WEN opened at $12.55 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $14.04 and its 200-day simple moving average is $15.87. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48. The stock has a market cap of $2.46 billion, a PE ratio of 13.21, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.40. The Wendy’s Company has a 1 year low of $12.05 and a 1 year high of $20.60.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 2nd. The restaurant operator reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20. The company had revenue of $523.47 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $530.11 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 75.56%. The business’s revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.23 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Wendy’s Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.46%. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is presently 59.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently commented on WEN shares. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $14.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Friday. Citigroup raised their price objective on Wendy’s from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $17.00 price target (down from $20.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $14.00 price target (down previously from $22.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price 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. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Wendy’s has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $17.36.

Wendy’s Company Profile

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.