Wendy’s’ (WEN) Equal Weight Rating Reaffirmed at Stephens

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN)‘s stock had its “equal weight” rating reaffirmed by equities research analysts at Stephens in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $8.00 target price on the restaurant operator’s stock. Stephens’ price target indicates a potential upside of 27.69% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Mizuho set a $6.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Argus raised Wendy’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $12.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. KeyCorp reissued a “sector weight” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. BMO Capital Markets restated a “market perform” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated an “underweight” rating and set a $6.00 price objective (down from $7.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Monday, May 11th. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $8.56.

Wendy’s Stock Up 1.5%

Shares of WEN traded up $0.10 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $6.26. 3,386,634 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 9,324,932. The firm has a market cap of $1.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.02, a P/E/G ratio of 0.49 and a beta of 0.38. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.14 and a 200 day simple moving average of $7.57. Wendy’s has a 12-month low of $6.07 and a 12-month high of $12.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.25.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Wendy’s by 30.1% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 13,843,438 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $158,092,000 after buying an additional 3,205,269 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Wendy’s by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,091,847 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $59,075,000 after purchasing an additional 227,023 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley raised its holdings in Wendy’s by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 6,549,066 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $54,554,000 after purchasing an additional 357,814 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp lifted its position in Wendy’s by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,446,335 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $45,368,000 after purchasing an additional 102,084 shares during the period. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE lifted its position in Wendy’s by 5.6% in the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,493,752 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $31,232,000 after purchasing an additional 236,541 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

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.