XTX Topco Ltd Invests $1.08 Million in The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN)

Key Points

• XTX Topco Ltd invested approximately $1.08 million in The Wendy's Company by acquiring 74,062 shares in the first quarter of the year.
• Several hedge funds, including FSM Wealth Advisors LLC and Signaturefd LLC, increased their holdings in Wendy's, indicating strong institutional interest as they collectively own 85.96% of the company's stock.
• Wall Street analysts have lowered their price targets for Wendy's, with Morgan Stanley setting a new target of $11.00 and several firms issuing ratings ranging from "buy" to "underweight".

XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 74,062 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $1,084,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of WEN. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Wendy's by 5.5% during the first quarter. FSM Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 16,207 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $237,000 after purchasing an additional 842 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in shares of Wendy's by 27.4% during the 1st 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 period. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale lifted its stake in shares of Wendy's by 22.0% during the 1st quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 7,223 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $105,000 after buying an additional 1,303 shares in the last quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Wendy's by 6.6% during the 1st quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 21,576 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $316,000 after buying an additional 1,328 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in Wendy's by 35.7% in the 4th quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC now owns 6,625 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $108,000 after buying an additional 1,742 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.96% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at Wendy's

In related news, CMO Lindsay J. Radkoski bought 5,050 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $11.68 per share, with a total value of $58,984.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer owned 28,956 shares in the company, valued at $338,206.08. This trade represents a 21.12% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, insider Abigail E. Pringle sold 136,819 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 owned 203,005 shares in the company, valued at $2,600,494.05. The trade was a 40.26% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 17.00% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have commented on the company. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Wendy's from $13.00 to $11.00 and set an "underweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, July 14th. Guggenheim downgraded Wendy's from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 14th. TD Securities lowered their price target on Wendy's from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, May 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on shares of Wendy's from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 15th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $11.50 price objective (down previously from $13.75) on shares of Wendy's in a research report on Monday, July 28th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Wendy's currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $14.81.

Wendy's Price Performance

Wendy's stock opened at $9.96 on Friday. The Wendy's Company has a 52-week low of $9.76 and a 52-week high of $20.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.88. The firm's fifty day moving average is $11.21 and its 200 day moving average is $12.99. The company has a market cap of $1.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.60, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 0.31.

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

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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