The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Short Interest Down 19.5% in March

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) was the target of a significant decrease in short interest in the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 13,590,000 shares, a decrease of 19.5% from the February 28th total of 16,890,000 shares. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 5,150,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 2.6 days. Approximately 7.5% of the company’s shares are sold short.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WEN has been the subject of several analyst reports. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Friday, March 7th. UBS Group upped their target price on Wendy’s from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Wendy’s from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Argus upgraded Wendy’s to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 18th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $18.08.

Wendy’s Trading Up 0.6 %

NASDAQ:WEN opened at $14.72 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $14.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.95 billion, a PE ratio of 15.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.73. Wendy’s has a 12 month low of $13.72 and a 12 month high of $20.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.83.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $574.27 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $564.17 million. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 75.56% and a net margin of 8.65%. Research analysts predict that Wendy’s will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.79%. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 105.26%.

Institutional Trading of Wendy’s

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Wendy’s by 670.3% in 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 in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the 4th quarter worth about $30,000. Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $31,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in Wendy’s by 168.1% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Wendy’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $46,000. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.