The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Shares Sold by Evoke Wealth LLC

Evoke Wealth LLC decreased its holdings in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) by 9.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,629 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 1,078 shares during the quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC’s holdings in Wendy’s were worth $173,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WEN. Blue Trust Inc. lifted 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 worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,220 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Wendy’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 168.1% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares during the period. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 985 shares during the period. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 2,334.5% in the 4th quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC now owns 4,869 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $79,000 after buying an additional 4,669 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s Price Performance

WEN stock opened at $15.28 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.83. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $14.97 and a 200-day simple moving average of $16.85. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.06 billion, a PE ratio of 16.08, 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. The company 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%. 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 company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.54%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is 105.26%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on WEN shares. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Wendy’s from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Wedbush reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $16.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $17.00 price objective (down previously from $20.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Wendy’s from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $14.00 price target (down previously from $22.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $18.08.

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.