Legacy Capital Group California Inc. Makes New $631,000 Investment in The Wendy’s Company $WEN

Legacy Capital Group California Inc. purchased a new stake in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 68,881 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $631,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in WEN. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the 2nd quarter worth about $25,000. Investors Research Corp purchased a new position in Wendy’s during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc raised its position in Wendy’s by 19,693.8% during the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,167 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 3,151 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB raised its position in Wendy’s by 205.0% during the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 3,257 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 2,189 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 35.0% in the second quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 4,017 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $46,000 after purchasing an additional 1,041 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

More Wendy’s News

Here are the key news stories impacting Wendy’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile marketing push — Wendy’s is running a national contest to hire a “Chief Tasting Officer” for $100,000. The stunt has generated widespread earned media and social‑media engagement, likely boosting short‑term brand awareness and restaurant traffic. Wendy’s is hiring a chief tasting officer
• Positive Sentiment: Free publicity from fast‑food “burger feud” — Wendy’s public responses and participation in viral taste‑test exchanges with McDonald’s and Burger King are extending the campaign’s reach without large incremental ad spend, reinforcing brand relevance in a competitive category. Burger King, Wendy’s respond to McDonald’s CEO’s viral taste-test video
• Positive Sentiment: International unit growth — Wendy’s signed franchise deals to open 60+ restaurants in Mexico, accelerating its international expansion and providing a tangible growth runway beyond U.S. same‑store sales. This is a longer‑term revenue driver if execution holds. Wendy’s Accelerates Mexico Expansion With Over 60 New Restaurants
• Neutral Sentiment: Broad media saturation — Multiple consumer and local outlets are covering the hiring contest (MSN, Yahoo, AOL, NBC, etc.). Good for awareness but not a guaranteed driver of sustained sales; monitor any sequential comp/margin signals. Wendy’s offers fast food lovers unique $100K job opportunity
• Negative Sentiment: Fundamentals & investor caution — MarketBeat notes shares remain under pressure despite an EPS beat; Wendy’s revenue has shown year‑over‑year weakness and the company’s recent results contained a revenue miss. That creates a risk that marketing momentum won’t offset slowing sales or margin pressure. MarketBeat Week in Review – Wendy’s mention
• Negative Sentiment: Macro volatility risk — Incoming inflation prints and geopolitics are keeping restaurant stocks volatile; consumer spending beats or misses will matter more than PR stunts for forward earnings. MarketBeat Week in Review

Wendy’s Stock Performance

Shares of WEN opened at $7.42 on Friday. The Wendy’s Company has a 1 year low of $6.73 and a 1 year high of $15.79. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $7.97 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.67. The company has a market capitalization of $1.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.73, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.77, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 1.76.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.02. Wendy’s had a net margin of 7.58% and a return on equity of 145.93%. The firm had revenue of $439.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $537.11 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.25 EPS. Wendy’s’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Wendy’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.600 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 65.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WEN has been the topic of several research reports. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $8.50 to $7.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $8.00 target price on Wendy’s in a report on Monday, February 16th. Zacks Research raised Wendy’s from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Finally, TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Wendy’s from $9.00 to $6.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $9.00.

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.