Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund Buys Shares of 3,750,000 The Wendy's Company $WEN

Key Points

• Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund acquired 3.75 million Wendy’s shares worth approximately $26.1 million, giving it a 1.97% stake. Institutional investors collectively own 85.96% of the company.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: Wendy’s has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $8.06, despite Argus upgrading the stock to “Buy” with a $12 target.
• Wendy’s reported first-quarter EPS of $0.12, above estimates, while revenue rose 3.3% year over year to $432.3 million. The company pays a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share, representing an annualized yield of about 8%.

Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund bought a new position in shares of The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 3,750,000 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $26,062,000. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund owned 1.97% of Wendy's at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Ruffer LLP acquired a new stake in Wendy's in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $3,194,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. acquired a new position in Wendy's during the fourth quarter worth $781,000. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System acquired a new position in Wendy's during the first quarter worth $487,000. Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new position in Wendy's during the fourth quarter worth $785,000. Finally, Vista Investment Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Wendy's during the fourth quarter worth $107,000. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on WEN. Argus raised Wendy's from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $12.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, May 13th. KeyCorp reissued a "sector weight" rating on shares of Wendy's in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Citigroup raised their target price on Wendy's from $7.25 to $7.75 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, May 11th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a "market perform" rating on shares of Wendy's in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $6.00 price target on shares of Wendy's in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $8.06.

Wendy's Stock Performance

Shares of WEN opened at $6.99 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $7.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $7.46. The company has a quick ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.25. The company has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.36. The Wendy's Company has a 52-week low of $6.07 and a 52-week high of $10.84.

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The restaurant operator reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.10 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $432.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $518.03 million. Wendy's had a net margin of 6.77% and a return on equity of 136.46%. The firm's revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.20 earnings per share. Wendy's has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.600 EPS. Research analysts predict that The Wendy's Company will post 0.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy's Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Investors of record on Monday, June 1st were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.0%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. Wendy's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 71.79%.

Wendy's Profile

The Wendy's Company NASDAQ: WEN operates as a global quick-service restaurant chain, best known for its square-shaped beef patties, fresh ingredient sourcing and signature Frosty dessert. The company's menu features a variety of hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, breakfast sandwiches, sides and beverages, designed to appeal to a broad customer base seeking both classic and contemporary fast-food options. Wendy's has placed particular emphasis on product innovation, introducing limited-time offerings and revamped core menu items to maintain customer interest and respond to evolving dining trends.

Founded in 1969 by entrepreneur Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio, Wendy's expanded rapidly through both company-owned and franchised outlets.

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