94,700 Shares in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Acquired by Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund purchased a new stake in shares of The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 94,700 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,659,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new stake in Wendy’s in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy’s during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Wendy’s during the second quarter worth about $33,000. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 94.7% in the 2nd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,644 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286 shares during the period. Finally, AM Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the third quarter valued at $49,000. Institutional investors own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s Price Performance

WEN opened at $18.36 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.64, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a current ratio of 2.10. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.74 billion, a PE ratio of 19.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.79. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $18.67 and its 200-day moving average price is $17.60. The Wendy’s Company has a 52-week low of $15.61 and a 52-week high of $20.65.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25. Wendy’s had a net margin of 8.76% and a return on equity of 70.02%. The company had revenue of $566.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $560.50 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.27 earnings per share. Wendy’s’s revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.45%. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 105.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $19.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. Wolfe Research upgraded Wendy’s to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $20.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Tigress Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $29.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.36.

About Wendy’s

The Wendy's Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a quick-service restaurant company in the United States and internationally. It operates through Wendy's U.S., Wendy's International, and Global Real Estate & Development segments. The company is involved in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants specializing in hamburger sandwiches.