Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Shares Up 4.9% – What’s Next?

Shares of The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) were up 4.9% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $15.90 and last traded at $15.96. Approximately 1,649,491 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 68% from the average daily volume of 5,121,864 shares. The stock had previously closed at $15.21.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on WEN shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $17.00 price objective (down from $20.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Wednesday. Wedbush increased their price target on Wendy’s from $15.50 to $16.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $15.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Thursday, February 13th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Wendy’s from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $14.00 target price (down from $22.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Wendy’s currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $18.42.

Wendy’s Stock Down 2.6 %

The firm has a market cap of $3.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.32, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.77. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $15.27 and its 200 day moving average is $17.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a current ratio of 1.85.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.01. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 75.56% and a net margin of 8.65%. The company had revenue of $574.27 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $564.17 million. 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 Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.45%. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is presently 105.26%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wendy’s

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 1,220 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Wendy’s during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new stake in Wendy’s during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Wendy’s by 168.1% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AM Squared Ltd bought a new position in Wendy’s in the 3rd quarter valued at about $49,000. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wendy’s Company Profile

The Wendy’s Co engages in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants. It offers hamburgers and related products, such as chicken breast sandwiches, nuggets, chili, and baked potatoes, French fries, freshly prepared salads, soft drinks, milk, coffee, frosty deserts, and kid’s meals.