Principal Financial Group Inc. Invests $606,000 in Nathan’s Famous, Inc. $NATH

Principal Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Nathan’s Famous, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATH) during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 5,476 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $606,000.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of NATH. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC boosted its position in Nathan’s Famous by 204.7% during the 2nd quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 387 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $43,000 after acquiring an additional 260 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its position in shares of Nathan’s Famous by 142.0% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 692 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $77,000 after purchasing an additional 406 shares in the last quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Nathan’s Famous by 75.7% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 884 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $98,000 after purchasing an additional 381 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Nathan’s Famous during the second quarter worth approximately $110,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its position in Nathan’s Famous by 16,616.7% during the second quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 1,003 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $111,000 after purchasing an additional 997 shares in the last quarter. 66.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nathan’s Famous Stock Performance

NASDAQ NATH opened at $101.05 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $96.87 and a 200 day simple moving average of $101.13. Nathan’s Famous, Inc. has a twelve month low of $88.00 and a twelve month high of $118.50. The stock has a market capitalization of $413.29 million, a PE ratio of 19.43 and a beta of 0.34.

Nathan’s Famous (NASDAQ:NATH) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.75 EPS for the quarter. Nathan’s Famous had a negative return on equity of 182.42% and a net margin of 13.59%.The company had revenue of $34.31 million for the quarter.

Nathan’s Famous Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 27th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 17th will be given a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, February 17th. This represents a $2.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.0%. Nathan’s Famous’s payout ratio is 38.46%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Nathan’s Famous in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Buy”.

Nathan’s Famous Profile

Nathan’s Famous Inc is a quick-service restaurant company known for its signature all-beef hot dogs and classic American fast-food offerings. The company operates and franchises a network of dining outlets under the Nathan’s Famous brand, serving items such as hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, french fries and specialty sides. In addition to its restaurant business, Nathan’s Famous markets frozen and refrigerated products to retail and foodservice customers across North America.

The company traces its origins to 1916, when founder Nathan Handwerker opened a modest walk-up stand on Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York.