Leonteq Securities AG Acquires Shares of 94,283 The Wendy’s Company $WEN

Leonteq Securities AG acquired a new stake in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 94,283 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $785,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its position in Wendy’s by 161.0% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,829 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 2,362 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its position in Wendy’s by 55.4% in the fourth quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 8,392 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $70,000 after purchasing an additional 2,992 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its position in Wendy’s by 54.4% in the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 8,611 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $79,000 after purchasing an additional 3,034 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Wendy’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $83,000. Finally, Cane Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Wendy’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $83,000. Institutional investors own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s Price Performance

WEN opened at $7.81 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.25, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 1.83. The Wendy’s Company has a 52-week low of $6.37 and a 52-week high of $12.51. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a PE ratio of 10.01, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.55 and a beta of 0.35. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $7.14 and its 200-day moving average price is $7.79.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The restaurant operator reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.10 by $0.02. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 136.46% and a net margin of 6.77%.The firm had revenue of $432.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $518.03 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.20 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Wendy’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.600 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.58 EPS for the current year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 1st. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.2%. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is 71.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have weighed in on WEN shares. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Wendy’s from $8.50 to $7.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Wendy’s from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Argus upgraded Wendy’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $12.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Truist Financial lowered their price objective on Wendy’s from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $7.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Monday, February 16th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, twelve have issued a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $8.56.

Wendy’s Profile

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) operates as a global quick-service restaurant chain, best known for its square-shaped beef patties, fresh ingredient sourcing and signature Frosty dessert. The company’s menu features a variety of hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, breakfast sandwiches, sides and beverages, designed to appeal to a broad customer base seeking both classic and contemporary fast-food options. Wendy’s has placed particular emphasis on product innovation, introducing limited-time offerings and revamped core menu items to maintain customer interest and respond to evolving dining trends.

Founded in 1969 by entrepreneur Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio, Wendy’s expanded rapidly through both company-owned and franchised outlets.