The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the twenty-six brokerages that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $10.2955.

WEN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, January 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $9.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. TD Cowen decreased their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, November 10th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Wendy’s from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th.

Wendy’s Price Performance

NASDAQ WEN opened at $8.06 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $1.53 billion, a PE ratio of 8.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 26.89. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $8.29 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $9.08. Wendy’s has a 52 week low of $7.60 and a 52 week high of $16.20.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The restaurant operator reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.20 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $442.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $535.75 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 8.43% and a return on equity of 125.74%. Wendy’s’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.25 EPS. Wendy’s has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.820-0.890 EPS. Research analysts predict that Wendy’s will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were given a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.9%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is 59.57%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wendy’s

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new stake in Wendy’s in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $36,912,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 30.1% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 13,843,438 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $158,092,000 after acquiring an additional 3,205,269 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership lifted its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 61.3% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,041,012 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $57,568,000 after acquiring an additional 1,915,465 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $18,929,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 6,474.9% in the 2nd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,134,230 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $12,953,000 after purchasing an additional 1,116,979 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s Company 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.