Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. Takes Position in Nathan’s Famous, Inc. $NATH

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Nathan’s Famous, Inc. (NASDAQ:NATH) during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 7,400 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $745,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in NATH. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL lifted its position in Nathan’s Famous by 6.7% in the first quarter. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL now owns 291,086 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $29,321,000 after purchasing an additional 18,250 shares during the period. Gabelli Funds LLC increased its position in Nathan’s Famous by 9.2% during the 1st quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC now owns 187,000 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $18,837,000 after purchasing an additional 15,800 shares during the period. Renaissance Technologies LLC increased its position in Nathan’s Famous by 8.7% during the 1st quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC now owns 154,356 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $15,548,000 after purchasing an additional 12,300 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Nathan’s Famous by 0.7% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 138,170 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $15,301,000 after buying an additional 912 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Nathan’s Famous by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 64,279 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $6,016,000 after buying an additional 1,083 shares in the last quarter. 66.54% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Nathan’s Famous Trading Up 1.0%

Shares of NATH opened at $99.14 on Tuesday. Nathan’s Famous, Inc. has a twelve month low of $88.67 and a twelve month high of $113.86. The firm has a market capitalization of $405.88 million, a P/E ratio of 20.44 and a beta of 0.27. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $100.73 and its two-hundred day moving average is $100.25.

Nathan’s Famous (NASDAQ:NATH) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 9th. The restaurant operator reported $0.68 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. The company had revenue of $35.07 million during the quarter. Nathan’s Famous had a net margin of 12.35% and a negative return on equity of 179.01%.

Nathan’s Famous Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, June 30th. Investors of record on Monday, June 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.50 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 22nd. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. Nathan’s Famous’s payout ratio is currently 41.24%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Separately, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Nathan’s Famous in a research note on Friday, July 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Nathan’s Famous presently 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.