The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Short Interest Up 16.1% in February

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) saw a large increase in short interest during the month of February. As of February 28th, there was short interest totalling 16,890,000 shares, an increase of 16.1% from the February 13th total of 14,550,000 shares. Approximately 9.2% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 4,930,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 3.4 days.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. UBS Group raised their price objective on Wendy’s from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Wendy’s from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Wendy’s from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $15.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $17.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.08.

Wendy’s Stock Down 1.2 %

Shares of NASDAQ WEN opened at $15.28 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $3.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.08, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.73. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $14.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $16.85. Wendy’s has a 1 year low of $13.72 and a 1 year high of $20.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.83.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.01. The firm 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%. Research analysts anticipate that Wendy’s will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.54%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 105.26%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wendy’s

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WEN. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 85.5% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 279,041 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $4,548,000 after acquiring an additional 128,579 shares in the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC purchased a new position in Wendy’s during the 4th quarter worth $184,000. Probity Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Wendy’s by 21.9% during the 4th quarter. Probity Advisors Inc. now owns 14,253 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $232,000 after purchasing an additional 2,564 shares during the period. Neo Ivy Capital Management bought a new stake in Wendy’s during the 4th quarter valued at $3,723,000. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the 4th quarter worth $171,000. 85.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.