Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC Has $5.31 Million Stock Position in The Wendy's Company $WEN

Key Points

• Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its stake in The Wendy's Company by 37.5% during the first quarter, now owning 362,601 shares valued at approximately $5.3 million.
• The Wendy's Company recently announced a quarterly dividend of $0.14 per share, resulting in a 5.3% yield for investors, with the payout ratio at 58.33%.
• Analysts have mixed ratings on Wendy's, with an average target price of $13.76, while recent earnings exceeded expectations with an EPS of $0.29.

Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Free Report) by 37.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 362,601 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after buying an additional 98,834 shares during the period. Kovitz Investment Group Partners LLC owned 0.19% of Wendy's worth $5,305,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 7,180.9% during the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,422 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 3,375 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 161.8% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 7,821 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $114,000 after buying an additional 4,834 shares during the period. Nuveen LLC bought a new stake in Wendy's in the 1st quarter valued at about $15,117,000. Cobblestone Capital Advisors LLC NY bought a new stake in Wendy's in the 1st quarter valued at about $311,000. Finally, Aigen Investment Management LP bought a new stake in Wendy's in the 1st quarter valued at about $1,775,000. Institutional investors own 85.96% of the company's stock.

Wendy's Price Performance

WEN stock traded down $0.31 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $10.27. 7,431,734 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,012,154. The company has a 50-day moving average of $10.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $12.63. The company has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.70, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.31. The Wendy's Company has a twelve month low of $9.74 and a twelve month high of $20.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.74, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.43.

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

Wendy's Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. Wendy's's dividend payout ratio is currently 58.33%.

Insider Transactions at Wendy's

In other Wendy's news, CMO Lindsay J. Radkoski purchased 5,050 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $11.68 per share, for a total transaction of $58,984.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 28,956 shares in the company, valued at $338,206.08. The trade was a 21.12% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 17.00% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

WEN has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. TD Cowen cut their price objective on shares of Wendy's from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 8th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $12.00 price objective on shares of Wendy's in a report on Friday, August 15th. Piper Sandler reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $13.00 price objective on shares of Wendy's in a report on Friday, August 8th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $11.00 target price (down from $14.00) on shares of Wendy's in a research report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "underweight" rating on shares of Wendy's in a report on Friday, August 8th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $13.76.

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.