International Assets Investment Management LLC Buys 45,538 Shares of The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN)

International Assets Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Free Report) by 1,807.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 48,057 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after buying an additional 45,538 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC's holdings in Wendy's were worth $936,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Signaturefd LLC raised its stake in Wendy's by 112.0% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,444 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 763 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 203.2% during the third quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,516 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,016 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Wendy's during the third quarter worth about $42,000. Private Trust Co. NA purchased a new position in shares of Wendy's during the third quarter worth about $43,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 58.0% during the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 2,352 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $46,000 after purchasing an additional 863 shares during the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at Wendy's

In related news, Director Kenneth W. Gilbert sold 4,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.07, for a total value of $81,315.00. Following the sale, the director now owns 31,304 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $565,663.28. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 17.10% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have issued reports on WEN shares. Stephens started coverage on Wendy's in a report on Friday, April 12th. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $20.00 price objective on the stock. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Wendy's from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut Wendy's from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $24.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. TD Cowen restated a "hold" rating and issued a $19.00 price target on shares of Wendy's in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets dropped their price target on Wendy's from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a "market perform" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Wendy's presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $22.47.

Wendy's Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WEN traded down $0.14 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $19.82. 1,949,398 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,948,306. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $18.56 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $18.99. The company has a market cap of $4.07 billion, a PE ratio of 20.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.66. The Wendy's Company has a 12-month low of $17.64 and a 12-month high of $23.90.

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The restaurant operator reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.23 by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $540.65 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $546.47 million. Wendy's had a return on equity of 56.24% and a net margin of 9.37%. Wendy's's revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.22 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that The Wendy's Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Wendy's Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.05%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Wendy's's payout ratio is currently 102.04%.

About Wendy's

The Wendy's Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a quick-service restaurant company in the United States and internationally. It operates through Wendy's U.S., Wendy's International, and Global Real Estate & Development segments. The company is involved in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants specializing in hamburger sandwiches.