Nuveen LLC Invests $15.12 Million in The Wendy's Company $WEN

Key Points

• Nuveen LLC has invested approximately $15.12 million in The Wendy's Company by acquiring over 1 million shares, representing about 0.54% of the company's stock.
• Major hedge funds, including Vanguard Group and Charles Schwab, have increased their stakes in Wendy's, highlighting growing institutional interest in the company.
• Wendy's has announced a dividend of $0.14 per share, with a dividend yield of 5.5%, alongside earnings results that exceeded analyst expectations.

Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,033,264 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $15,117,000. Nuveen LLC owned about 0.54% of Wendy's as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in WEN. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Wendy's by 2.5% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,634,226 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $316,509,000 after acquiring an additional 536,071 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Wendy's by 7.4% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 6,767,723 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $99,012,000 after acquiring an additional 464,444 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Wendy's by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,033,560 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $65,747,000 after acquiring an additional 43,805 shares during the last quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC boosted its holdings in Wendy's by 3.0% in the fourth quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 3,133,832 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $51,081,000 after acquiring an additional 90,380 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its holdings in Wendy's by 5.9% in the first quarter. Bank of New York Mellon Corp now owns 2,577,359 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $37,707,000 after acquiring an additional 142,500 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Wendy's news, CMO Lindsay J. Radkoski bought 5,050 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $11.68 per share, with a total value of $58,984.00. Following the completion of 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 ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 17.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

WEN has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $13.00 target price on shares of Wendy's in a report on Friday, August 8th. Guggenheim cut Wendy's from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Wendy's in a report on Friday, August 8th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $11.00 target price (down previously from $14.00) on shares of Wendy's in a report on Wednesday, July 30th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their target price on Wendy's from $13.00 to $11.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, July 18th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have assigned a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $13.76.

Wendy's Trading Down 2.9%

NASDAQ:WEN opened at $10.27 on Thursday. The business's 50-day moving average is $10.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.74, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The Wendy's Company has a 12 month low of $9.74 and a 12 month high of $20.60. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of 10.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.31.

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results 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. Wendy's had a return on equity of 103.07% and a net margin of 8.63%.The business had revenue of $560.93 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $558.95 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.27 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 1.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Wendy's has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.820-0.89 EPS. Research analysts predict that The Wendy's Company will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wendy's Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 5.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 2nd. Wendy's's payout ratio is presently 58.33%.

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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