Recent Research Analysts’ Ratings Changes for Wendy’s (WEN)

Several brokerages have updated their recommendations and price targets on shares of Wendy’s (NASDAQ: WEN) in the last few weeks:

• 5/3/2024 – Wendy’s had its price target raised by analysts at Piper Sandler from $21.00 to $23.00. They now have an “overweight” rating on the stock.
• 5/3/2024 – Wendy’s had its price target raised by analysts at Citigroup Inc. from $20.00 to $21.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 5/3/2024 – Wendy’s had its price target raised by analysts at UBS Group AG from $20.00 to $21.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 5/3/2024 – Wendy’s had its price target raised by analysts at Wedbush from $20.00 to $21.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 5/3/2024 – Wendy’s had its price target raised by analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $20.00 to $22.00. They now have a “market perform” rating on the stock.
• 5/3/2024 – Wendy’s had its “hold” rating reaffirmed by analysts at TD Cowen. They now have a $19.00 price target on the stock.
• 5/2/2024 – Wendy’s had its “equal weight” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Stephens. They now have a $20.00 price target on the stock.
• 4/26/2024 – Wendy’s had its price target raised by analysts at Wedbush from $19.00 to $20.00. They now have a “neutral” rating on the stock.
• 4/12/2024 – Wendy’s is now covered by analysts at Stephens. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $20.00 price target on the stock.
• 4/10/2024 – Wendy’s had its “hold” rating reaffirmed by analysts at TD Cowen. They now have a $19.00 price target on the stock.

Wendy’s Price Performance

WEN stock traded down $0.02 during trading on Friday, hitting $17.76. 1,306,656 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 3,224,018. The Wendy’s Company has a one year low of $17.64 and a one year high of $22.91. The stock has a market cap of $3.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $18.88 and a 200 day simple moving average of $19.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.04, a quick ratio of 2.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.21.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The restaurant operator reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.21 by $0.02. Wendy’s had a net margin of 9.44% and a return on equity of 62.68%. The company had revenue of $534.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $540.84 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.21 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that The Wendy’s Company will post 1 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 17th. Investors of record on Monday, June 3rd will be paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.63%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 3rd. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 101.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Kenneth W. Gilbert sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.07, for a total transaction of $81,315.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 31,304 shares in the company, valued at $565,663.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, CMO Juan Carlos Loredo sold 44,806 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 9th. The shares were sold at an average price of $19.50, for a total transaction of $873,717.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief marketing officer now owns 27,586 shares in the company, valued at $537,927. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Kenneth W. Gilbert sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.07, for a total transaction of $81,315.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 31,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $565,663.28. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 17.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WEN. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Wendy’s by 22.2% in the fourth quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 3,220 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $63,000 after purchasing an additional 586 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC raised its position in Wendy’s by 112.0% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,444 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 763 shares in the last quarter. Private Wealth Strategies L.L.C. raised its position in Wendy’s by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Private Wealth Strategies L.L.C. now owns 17,867 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $348,000 after acquiring an additional 789 shares in the last quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its position in Wendy’s by 5.6% during the first quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 15,170 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 801 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HB Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Wendy’s by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 15,461 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $301,000 after acquiring an additional 805 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

The Wendy's Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a quick-service restaurant company in the United States and internationally. It operates through Wendy's U.S., Wendy's International, and Global Real Estate & Development segments. The company is involved in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants specializing in hamburger sandwiches.