Fox Run Management L.L.C. Acquires Shares of 117,845 The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN)

Fox Run Management L.L.C. acquired a new stake in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 117,845 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,921,000. Wendy’s makes up approximately 0.3% of Fox Run Management L.L.C.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd largest position.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy’s during the third quarter worth about $236,000. Empowered Funds LLC increased its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 62.5% during the third quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 35,726 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $626,000 after purchasing an additional 13,747 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy’s during the third quarter worth about $258,000. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 3.3% during the third quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 56,603 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $992,000 after purchasing an additional 1,794 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 187.0% during the third quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 208,880 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,660,000 after purchasing an additional 136,112 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s Price Performance

Shares of WEN opened at $15.26 on Friday. The Wendy’s Company has a fifty-two week low of $13.72 and a fifty-two week high of $20.65. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $14.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.83. The company has a market cap of $3.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.06, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a quick ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. Wendy’s had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 75.56%. The firm had revenue of $574.27 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $564.17 million. On average, research analysts forecast that The Wendy’s Company 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 given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 105.26%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on WEN shares. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Argus upgraded shares of Wendy’s to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $14.00 price target (down from $22.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $17.00 price target (down from $20.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Wednesday, February 26th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $18.08.

Wendy’s Company Profile

The Wendy’s Co engages in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants. It offers hamburgers and related products, such as chicken breast sandwiches, nuggets, chili, and baked potatoes, French fries, freshly prepared salads, soft drinks, milk, coffee, frosty deserts, and kid’s meals.