US Bancorp DE Reduces Holdings in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN)

US Bancorp DE decreased its position in shares of The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) by 11.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 18,317 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 2,423 shares during the period. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in Wendy’s were worth $299,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. MetLife Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Wendy’s by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 92,132 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,614,000 after purchasing an additional 590 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Wendy’s by 2.9% in the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 25,529 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $416,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares during the last quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of Wendy’s by 46.4% in the 4th quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 985 shares during the last quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC increased its position in shares of Wendy’s by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC now owns 44,056 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $718,000 after purchasing an additional 1,115 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Brown Financial Advisors increased its position in shares of Wendy’s by 4.4% in the 4th quarter. Brown Financial Advisors now owns 26,984 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $440,000 after purchasing an additional 1,135 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s Stock Performance

Shares of WEN stock opened at $15.25 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $15.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $16.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a current ratio of 1.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.06 billion, a PE ratio of 16.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.73. The Wendy’s Company has a 1 year low of $13.72 and a 1 year high of $20.65.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $574.27 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $564.17 million. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 75.56% and a net margin of 8.65%. As a group, research analysts expect that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.56%. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 105.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WEN. Argus raised shares of Wendy’s to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $14.00 target price (down previously from $22.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $15.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Two equities 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently 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 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.