The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) has received an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty-one analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $16.34.

A number of research analysts have commented on WEN shares. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on Wendy’s from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $16.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Friday, March 7th. TD Securities lowered their price objective on Wendy’s from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Barclays cut 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 research report on Monday, May 5th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Abigail E. Pringle sold 136,819 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.81, for a total transaction of $1,752,651.39. Following the sale, the insider now directly owns 203,005 shares in the company, valued at $2,600,494.05. This trade represents a 40.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CMO Lindsay J. Radkoski bought 5,050 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $11.68 per share, with a total value of $58,984.00. Following the acquisition, the chief marketing officer now owns 28,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $338,206.08. This represents a 21.12% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. 17.00% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wendy’s

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WEN. Blue Trust Inc. grew its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 670.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,402 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,220 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new position in Wendy’s in the fourth quarter valued at $30,000. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new position in Wendy’s in the fourth quarter valued at $31,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in 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 buying an additional 1,957 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in Wendy’s during the 4th quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WEN opened at $11.69 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $12.34 and a 200-day moving average of $14.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a current ratio of 1.85. Wendy’s has a twelve month low of $10.98 and a twelve month high of $20.60. The firm has a market cap of $2.24 billion, a PE ratio of 12.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.40.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 2nd. The restaurant operator reported $0.20 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.20. Wendy’s had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 75.56%. The firm had revenue of $523.47 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $530.11 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.23 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Wendy’s will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be issued a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, June 2nd. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.79%. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.57%.

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.