Brokerages Set The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Price Target at $13.87

Shares of The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) have been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the twenty-three ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, six have issued a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $13.7632.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on WEN shares. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Wendy’s from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, July 12th. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 5th. Citigroup upgraded shares of Wendy’s from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, August 8th. Loop Capital reduced their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $21.00 to $16.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 16th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $11.00 price objective (down from $14.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Wednesday, July 30th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wendy’s

In other news, CMO Lindsay J. Radkoski acquired 5,050 shares of Wendy’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $11.68 per share, for a total transaction of $58,984.00. Following the acquisition, the chief marketing officer owned 28,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $338,206.08. This trade represents a 21.12% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 17.00% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wendy’s

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WEN. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 1,111.9% in the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,133 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,957 shares in the last quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC raised its stake in Wendy’s by 35.0% during the 2nd quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 4,017 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,041 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in Wendy’s by 7,180.9% during the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,422 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $50,000 after acquiring an additional 3,375 shares in the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wendy’s Price Performance

Wendy’s stock opened at $10.27 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $1.96 billion, a PE ratio of 10.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 0.31. Wendy’s has a 52-week low of $9.74 and a 52-week high of $20.60. The company has a quick ratio of 1.43, a current ratio of 1.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.74. The company’s 50 day moving average is $10.89 and its two-hundred day moving average is $12.61.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its earnings results on Friday, August 8th. The restaurant operator reported $0.29 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $560.93 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $558.95 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 8.63% and a return on equity of 103.07%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.27 EPS. Wendy’s has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.820-0.89 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Wendy’s will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 2nd will be issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.5%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, September 2nd. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 58.33%.

Wendy’s Company Profile

The Wendy’s Co engages in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants. It operates through the following segments: Wendy’s U.S., Wendy’s International, and Global Real Estate and Development. The Wendy’s U.S. segment includes the operation and franchising of Wendy’s restaurants in the U.S.