Headlands Technologies LLC Purchases 105,319 Shares of The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN)

Key Points

• Headlands Technologies LLC significantly increased its stake in The Wendy's Company, purchasing an additional 105,319 shares and raising its holdings by 2,485.1% during the 1st quarter.
• Insider trading saw CMO Lindsay J. Radkoski acquire 5,050 shares at $11.68 each, reflecting a 21.12% increase in their position.
• Analyst ratings for Wendy's show a consensus rating of "Hold" with price targets recently downgraded, including Stifel Nicolaus reducing its target from $16.00 to $14.00.

Headlands Technologies LLC raised its position in shares of The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Free Report) by 2,485.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 109,557 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after purchasing an additional 105,319 shares during the period. Headlands Technologies LLC owned 0.06% of Wendy's worth $1,603,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of WEN. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new position in shares of Wendy's in the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 1,111.9% in the first quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,133 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 1,957 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings 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 acquiring an additional 917 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 91.0% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,266 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $62,000 after acquiring an additional 2,033 shares during the period. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 35.7% in the fourth quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 6,625 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $108,000 after acquiring an additional 1,742 shares during the period. 85.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CMO Lindsay J. Radkoski purchased 5,050 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average price of $11.68 per share, for a total transaction of $58,984.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer directly owned 28,956 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $338,206.08. This trade represents a 21.12% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 17.00% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on WEN. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on Wendy's from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. BMO Capital Markets cut their price target on Wendy's from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a "market perform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Wendy's from $13.00 to $11.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, July 14th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Wendy's from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 12th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $11.50 price objective (down previously from $13.75) on shares of Wendy's in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Wendy's currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $14.81.

Wendy's Trading Down 0.8%

NASDAQ WEN opened at $9.96 on Friday. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $11.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $12.87. The Wendy's Company has a twelve month low of $9.74 and a twelve month high of $20.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.88. The company has a market capitalization of $1.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.60, a PEG ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 0.31.

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.

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