The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Receives $8.56 Average PT from Analysts

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the twenty-four analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and five have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $8.5568.

Several research analysts recently issued reports on WEN shares. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $6.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $6.00 price target on Wendy’s in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Monday, April 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Wendy’s from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Finally, Mizuho set a $6.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Friday, May 1st.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wendy’s

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in Wendy’s during the 1st quarter worth about $161,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC increased its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 1.8% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 639,085 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $9,350,000 after purchasing an additional 11,072 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. raised its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 35.0% in the second quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 15,687 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $179,000 after purchasing an additional 4,067 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 136.9% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 27,776 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $318,000 after purchasing an additional 16,053 shares during the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 8.4% during the second quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 16,987 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $194,000 after purchasing an additional 1,310 shares during the period. 85.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wendy’s Trading Down 1.5%

NASDAQ:WEN opened at $7.78 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.97, a PEG ratio of 0.57 and a beta of 0.36. Wendy’s has a 52 week low of $6.07 and a 52 week high of $12.00. The company has a quick ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.25. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $7.36 and a 200 day moving average of $7.54.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The restaurant operator reported $0.12 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.10 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $432.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $518.03 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 6.77% and a return on equity of 136.46%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.20 earnings per share. Wendy’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.600 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Wendy’s will post 0.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

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

About Wendy’s

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.