Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Given New $16.00 Price Target at UBS Group

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) had its target price raised by UBS Group from $15.00 to $16.00 in a report issued on Friday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a neutral rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Argus upgraded Wendy’s to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a “neutral” rating and set a $17.00 target price (down previously from $20.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $15.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Thursday. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed a “sector perform” rating and issued a $17.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, TD Securities reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $16.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Friday. 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 given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Wendy’s has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $18.08.

Wendy’s Price Performance

WEN stock opened at $15.53 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.11 billion, a PE ratio of 16.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $15.06 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.93. Wendy’s has a 52-week low of $13.72 and a 52-week high of $20.65.

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

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.44%. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is 105.26%.

Institutional Trading of Wendy’s

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WEN. Point72 Asset Management L.P. raised its holdings in Wendy’s by 159.6% during the third quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 6,440,880 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $112,844,000 after purchasing an additional 3,959,480 shares in the last quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of Wendy’s by 3,249.7% during the 4th quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 1,568,348 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $25,564,000 after purchasing an additional 1,521,527 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 296.1% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,882,829 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,690,000 after buying an additional 1,407,503 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the fourth quarter valued at $16,678,000. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new position in Wendy’s during the fourth quarter valued at about $13,358,000. 85.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.