Janus Henderson Group PLC Has $62.57 Million Stake in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN)

Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) by 2.1% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,321,275 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 68,356 shares during the period. Janus Henderson Group PLC’s holdings in Wendy’s were worth $62,571,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Highlander Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 250.0% in the fourth quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 1,400 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its stake in Wendy’s by 378.0% in the first quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 1,568 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 1,240 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in Wendy’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Wendy’s by 483.2% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,872 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,551 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in Wendy’s by 145.8% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,116 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,255 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s Stock Performance

WEN traded up $0.34 on Tuesday, reaching $17.43. The company had a trading volume of 3,050,756 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,489,763. The Wendy’s Company has a fifty-two week low of $15.61 and a fifty-two week high of $22.42. The stock has a market cap of $3.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.87 and a beta of 0.76. The company’s fifty day moving average is $16.93 and its 200 day moving average is $18.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.21, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a current ratio of 2.04.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The restaurant operator reported $0.23 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.02. Wendy’s had a net margin of 9.44% and a return on equity of 62.68%. The business had revenue of $534.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $540.84 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.21 EPS. Wendy’s’s quarterly revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 3rd were given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.74%. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is presently 101.01%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WEN. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $19.00 to $17.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Morgan Stanley 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 Tuesday, July 16th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $20.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Tuesday, July 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group started coverage on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Thursday, June 13th. They set a “sell” rating and a $16.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wedbush reduced their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $21.00 to $19.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $21.03.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CMO Juan Carlos Loredo sold 44,806 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.50, for a total transaction of $873,717.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now owns 27,586 shares in the company, valued at approximately $537,927. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 17.10% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s 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.