Commonwealth Equity Services LLC Sells 5,521 Shares of The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN)

Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lessened its holdings in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) by 7.1% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 72,559 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 5,521 shares during the period. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC’s holdings in Wendy’s were worth $1,183,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Retirement Systems of Alabama increased its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 711,267 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $12,461,000 after purchasing an additional 102,769 shares in the last quarter. C2P Capital Advisory Group LLC d.b.a. Prosperity Capital Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Wendy’s during the fourth quarter worth about $1,733,000. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Wendy’s in the fourth quarter valued at $357,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $13,358,000. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP boosted its position in shares of Wendy’s by 90.8% in the 3rd quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 109,747 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,923,000 after purchasing an additional 52,225 shares during the period. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wendy’s Stock Performance

NASDAQ WEN opened at $14.63 on Tuesday. The Wendy’s Company has a 52-week low of $13.72 and a 52-week high of $20.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.40, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.73. The company’s fifty day moving average is $14.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.74. 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 posted its earnings results 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 business had revenue of $574.27 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $564.17 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 75.56%. Equities research analysts forecast that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.84%. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 105.26%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have commented on WEN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $17.00 price objective (down previously from $20.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Wendy’s from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Wendy’s from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $16.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Two 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 stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $18.08.

About Wendy’s

The Wendy’s Co engages in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants. It operates through the following segments: Wendy’s U.S., Wendy’s International, and Global Real Estate and Development. The Wendy’s U.S. segment includes the operation and franchising of Wendy’s restaurants in the U.S.