Quantinno Capital Management LP Buys 187,440 Shares of The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN)

Quantinno Capital Management LP increased its holdings in The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Free Report) by 170.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 297,187 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 187,440 shares during the period. Quantinno Capital Management LP owned about 0.15% of Wendy's worth $4,844,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in WEN. Blue Trust Inc. boosted its stake in Wendy's by 670.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,402 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,220 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy's during the 4th quarter valued at about $30,000. Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new position in Wendy's during the fourth quarter worth $31,000. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Wendy's in the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Finally, Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Wendy's by 46.4% in the fourth quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 985 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.96% of the company's stock.

Wendy's Price Performance

WEN stock traded down $0.09 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $12.25. 3,091,139 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,279,063. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $13.27 and a 200 day simple moving average of $15.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a current ratio of 1.85. The Wendy's Company has a 52 week low of $11.70 and a 52 week high of $20.60.

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The restaurant operator reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.20. The firm had revenue of $523.47 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $530.11 million. Wendy's had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 75.56%. Wendy's's quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.23 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that The Wendy's Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy's Cuts Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Investors of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.57%. Wendy's's dividend payout ratio is currently 59.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Abigail E. Pringle sold 136,819 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.81, for a total transaction of $1,752,651.39. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 203,005 shares in the company, valued at $2,600,494.05. This trade represents a 40.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 17.00% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Guggenheim cut shares of Wendy's from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Wendy's from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Argus raised shares of Wendy's to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Royal Bank of Canada restated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $17.00 price objective on shares of Wendy's in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Wendy's from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Wendy's has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $16.34.

Wendy's Company 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.