The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Shares Sold by Principal Financial Group Inc.

Principal Financial Group Inc. decreased its position in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) by 1.9% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 620,411 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 12,179 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.30% of Wendy’s worth $12,086,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Advisor Resource Council purchased a new stake in Wendy’s in the 4th quarter valued at about $372,000. Highlander Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Wendy’s by 250.0% in the 4th quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 1,400 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Wendy’s by 193.7% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,277,958 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,083,000 after buying an additional 842,856 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 484.0% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 209,718 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $4,280,000 after purchasing an additional 173,805 shares during the period. Finally, Jump Financial LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy’s during the 4th quarter worth about $1,631,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CMO Juan Carlos Loredo sold 44,806 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.50, for a total transaction of $873,717.00. Following the transaction, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 27,586 shares in the company, valued at $537,927. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Wendy’s news, CMO Juan Carlos Loredo sold 44,806 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 9th. The stock was sold at an average price of $19.50, for a total value of $873,717.00. Following the sale, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 27,586 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $537,927. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Kenneth W. Gilbert sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 31,304 shares in the company, valued at $565,663.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 17.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wendy’s Stock Performance

Shares of WEN opened at $17.77 on Friday. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $18.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.99. The Wendy’s Company has a 12-month low of $17.64 and a 12-month high of $22.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.65 billion, a PE ratio of 17.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.79 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.21, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 2.02.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The restaurant operator reported $0.23 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.02. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 62.68% and a net margin of 9.44%. The firm had revenue of $534.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $540.84 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.21 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that The Wendy’s Company will post 1 EPS for the current year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 3rd. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 101.01%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut Wendy’s from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $22.00 to $19.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $20.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. UBS Group boosted their target price on Wendy’s from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Wedbush boosted their target price on Wendy’s from $20.00 to $21.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, May 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on Wendy’s from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Fourteen analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.06.

Wendy’s 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.