Sivia Capital Partners LLC Buys Shares of 22,251 The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN)

Sivia Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 22,251 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $326,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in WEN. Sendero Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Wendy's in the first quarter valued at approximately $176,000. Viking Fund Management LLC raised its position in shares of Wendy's by 60.0% during the 1st quarter. Viking Fund Management LLC now owns 8,000 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $117,000 after acquiring an additional 3,000 shares during the last quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC raised its position in shares of Wendy's by 168.1% during the 1st quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 76,235 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $1,115,000 after acquiring an additional 47,795 shares during the last quarter. Gradient Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Wendy's by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 787,890 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $11,527,000 after purchasing an additional 15,315 shares during the period. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in shares of Wendy's by 20.1% in the 1st quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 700,472 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $10,248,000 after purchasing an additional 117,324 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.96% of the company's stock.

Wendy's Stock Down 0.4%

Shares of WEN stock traded down $0.05 on Thursday, hitting $11.43. 5,241,706 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,353,344. The company has a current ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 12.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.34. The Wendy's Company has a fifty-two week low of $10.98 and a fifty-two week high of $20.60. The business has a 50-day moving average of $12.19 and a 200 day moving average of $14.46.

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The restaurant operator reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.20. The firm 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 75.56% and a net margin of 8.65%. The business's quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.23 EPS. Equities analysts anticipate that The Wendy's Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Wendy's Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.90%. Wendy's's dividend payout ratio is 59.57%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Argus upgraded Wendy's to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Wendy's from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Wedbush reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $16.00 price objective on shares of Wendy's in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Wendy's from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, UBS Group cut their target price on shares of Wendy's from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $16.34.

Insider Transactions 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 stock was sold at an average price of $12.81, for a total value of $1,752,651.39. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now owns 203,005 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,600,494.05. This represents a 40.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CMO Lindsay J. Radkoski bought 5,050 shares of the 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 completion of the acquisition, the chief marketing officer now owns 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. Company insiders own 17.00% of the company's stock.

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.