Xponance Inc. Buys 2,004 Shares of The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN)

Xponance Inc. lifted its position in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) by 7.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 27,325 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,004 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Wendy’s were worth $445,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Wendy’s by 670.3% during 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 during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in shares of Wendy’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 168.1% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in Wendy’s by 46.4% in the fourth quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $51,000 after acquiring an additional 985 shares during the period. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in Wendy’s by 2,334.5% in the fourth quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC now owns 4,869 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 4,669 shares in the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wendy’s Price Performance

Shares of WEN opened at $14.74 on Thursday. The Wendy’s Company has a twelve month low of $13.72 and a twelve month high of $20.65. The company has a market capitalization of $2.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.73. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $14.96 and a 200 day moving average of $16.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 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 analyst estimates of $564.17 million. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 75.56% and a net margin of 8.65%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate 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 declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.78%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is presently 105.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $17.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Barclays raised their target price on Wendy’s from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an “underweight” rating and issued a $14.00 price target (down from $22.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, TD Securities reissued a “hold” rating and set a $16.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Wendy’s has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $18.08.

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.