The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Stock Holdings Lifted by Oak Thistle LLC

Oak Thistle LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Free Report) by 114.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 68,073 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after buying an additional 36,399 shares during the quarter. Oak Thistle LLC's holdings in Wendy's were worth $996,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new stake in Wendy's during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its position in Wendy's by 1,111.9% during 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 last quarter. New Age Alpha Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Wendy's in the fourth quarter valued at about $67,000. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in Wendy's by 27.4% in the first quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,262 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 917 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 91.0% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,266 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $62,000 after purchasing an additional 2,033 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Wendy's

In other news, insider Abigail E. Pringle sold 136,819 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.81, for a total value of $1,752,651.39. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 203,005 shares in the company, valued at $2,600,494.05. This represents a 40.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Lindsay J. Radkoski bought 5,050 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $11.68 per share, for a total transaction of $58,984.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 28,956 shares of the company's stock, valued at $338,206.08. The trade was a 21.12% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 17.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wendy's Price Performance

NASDAQ WEN traded down $0.65 during trading on Thursday, reaching $10.67. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,873,424 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,331,998. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $11.44 and a 200 day moving average of $13.24. The Wendy's Company has a one year low of $10.30 and a one year high of $20.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.88, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 1.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.05 billion, a PE ratio of 11.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.34.

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The restaurant operator reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.20. The business had revenue of $523.47 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $530.11 million. Wendy's had a return on equity of 85.36% and a net margin of 8.57%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.23 earnings per share. Analysts expect that The Wendy's Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy's Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd were given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.25%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 2nd. Wendy's's payout ratio is presently 59.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on WEN shares. Truist Financial cut their target price on shares of Wendy's from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. 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 research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley set a $11.00 target price on Wendy's and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 14th. Barclays decreased their price target on Wendy's from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $13.00 target price on Wendy's in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Wendy's presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $15.58.

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.