Advisors Asset Management Inc. Acquires 28,874 Shares of The Wendy's Company $WEN

Key Points

• Advisors Asset Management Inc. has increased its stake in The Wendy's Company by 10.6%, now holding 300,272 shares valued at approximately $4.39 million.
• Multiple large investors have also boosted their holdings in Wendy's, with Northern Trust Corp's ownership increasing by 89.6% during the first quarter.
• The company recently reported earnings of $0.29 EPS, exceeding analyst expectations of $0.25, alongside a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share with a yield of 5.5%.

Advisors Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Free Report) by 10.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 300,272 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 28,874 shares during the period. Advisors Asset Management Inc. owned approximately 0.16% of Wendy's worth $4,393,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of WEN. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Wendy's by 5.5% during the 1st quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 16,207 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $237,000 after acquiring an additional 842 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of Wendy's by 27.4% in the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,262 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 917 shares in the last quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Wendy's by 7.9% in the first quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 13,618 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $199,000 after purchasing an additional 1,002 shares in the last quarter. Covestor Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 25.8% during the first quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 5,069 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $74,000 after purchasing an additional 1,038 shares during the period. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale grew its position in Wendy's by 22.0% during the first quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 7,223 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $105,000 after purchasing an additional 1,303 shares in the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wendy's Stock Up 1.6%

Shares of WEN traded up $0.16 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $10.33. 7,542,823 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,018,096. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.74, a quick ratio of 1.43 and a current ratio of 1.45. The company has a market cap of $1.97 billion, a PE ratio of 10.76, a PEG ratio of 1.94 and a beta of 0.37. The firm's 50 day moving average is $10.60 and its 200-day moving average is $12.22. The Wendy's Company has a 52 week low of $9.74 and a 52 week high of $20.60.

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, August 8th. The restaurant operator reported $0.29 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $560.93 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $558.95 million. Wendy's had a return on equity of 103.07% and a net margin of 8.63%.The firm's revenue was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.27 EPS. Wendy's has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.820-0.89 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Wendy's Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.4%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. Wendy's's payout ratio is presently 58.33%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WEN has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen cut their target price on shares of Wendy's from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Citigroup raised shares of Wendy's from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, August 8th. Bank of America cut their price objective on Wendy's from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 18th. Loop Capital reduced their price objective on Wendy's from $21.00 to $16.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Wendy's in a research report on Friday, August 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $12.97.

Wendy's 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.