39,334 Shares in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Purchased by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 39,334 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $763,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in Wendy’s during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Wendy’s during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its position in shares of Wendy’s by 94.7% in the second quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 2,644 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 1,286 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AM Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the third quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s Price Performance

WEN stock opened at $16.50 on Monday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $18.25 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.56. The Wendy’s Company has a 12-month low of $15.61 and a 12-month high of $20.65. The company has a market capitalization of $3.36 billion, a PE ratio of 17.37, a P/E/G ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.64.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25. The company had revenue of $566.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $560.50 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 8.76% and a return on equity of 70.02%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.27 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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 Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.06%. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is 105.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WEN has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $18.00 to $18.75 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Wendy’s presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $20.36.

Wendy’s Company Profile

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.