Proficio Capital Partners LLC Takes Position in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN)

Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 13,073 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $213,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WEN. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 670.3% in the fourth 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. purchased a new position in Wendy’s during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Wendy’s by 168.1% during the fourth 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 fourth quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 985 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Transcendent Capital Group LLC boosted its position in shares of Wendy’s by 2,334.5% in the fourth quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC now owns 4,869 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $79,000 after acquiring an additional 4,669 shares during the period. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wendy’s Trading Up 1.8 %

NASDAQ WEN opened at $15.01 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $3.01 billion, a PE ratio of 15.80, 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. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $14.97 and a 200-day moving average of $16.78. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 dividend yield of 6.66%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is 105.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Barclays upped their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Wendy’s from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $15.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. 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, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and set a $17.00 price objective (down previously from $20.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Wendy’s 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 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.