Thrivent Financial for Lutherans Raises Stake in The Wendy’s Company $WEN

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans increased its stake in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) by 200.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 114,108 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after buying an additional 76,129 shares during the period. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans owned 0.06% of Wendy’s worth $1,045,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WEN. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position 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 during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in Wendy’s by 61.3% in the second quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,041,012 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $57,568,000 after purchasing an additional 1,915,465 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Wendy’s during the 2nd quarter worth $18,929,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its position in Wendy’s by 6,474.9% during 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. Finally, JCP Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the 2nd quarter worth $8,644,000. 85.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

More Wendy’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat — Wendy’s reported $0.16 EPS vs. consensus $0.14, showing some margin resilience despite traffic weakness. Wendy’s (WEN) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: International strength — global systemwide sales grew internationally (Q4 and full-year), providing a growth pocket outside the U.S. weakness. THE WENDY’S COMPANY REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2025 RESULTS AND PROVIDES 2026 OUTLOOK
• Positive Sentiment: Short-term traffic promotions — deals (e.g., $1 burgers) and limited-time items could support near-term comp trends if they drive visits. Wendy’s celebrating ‘singles’ with $1 burgers on Feb. 15. See deal
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro backdrop steady — CPI came in roughly as expected today, suggesting inflation dynamics aren’t an immediate upside/downside surprise for consumer spending. CPI Increased in Line With Expectations
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/earnings context available — full earnings call transcript and multiple analyst takes provide detail but deliver mixed views on whether Wendy’s is a value opportunity or a value trap. The Wendy’s Company (WEN) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Planned U.S. closures — management said it will close roughly 5–6% of U.S. restaurants in H1 2026 (about 240–360 locations), signaling structural problems in core U.S. markets. Wendy’s says as many as 350 US locations will close in the first half of this year
• Negative Sentiment: Weak FY26 guidance — Wendy’s set FY2026 EPS at $0.56–$0.60 vs. consensus ~$0.86, a sizable cut that pressures valuation and near?term upside. THE WENDY’S COMPANY REPORTS FOURTH QUARTER AND FULL YEAR 2025 RESULTS AND PROVIDES 2026 OUTLOOK
• Negative Sentiment: Top-line weakness — Q4 revenue and systemwide sales declined (U.S. comps fell), and coverage notes the company’s U.S. struggles are expected to persist into FY26. Wendy’s Sales Dented by Persistent U.S. Struggles
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction context — shares hit a 52-week low amid a highly shorted profile, amplifying downside risk if U.S. trends don’t stabilize. Highly Shorted Stock Wendy’s Hits 52-Week Low On Weak Outlook

Analyst Ratings Changes

WEN has been the subject of several recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on Wendy’s from $9.00 to $8.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, December 17th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $9.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $9.50 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $8.00 to $7.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $9.00 target price on Wendy’s in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Wendy’s currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.20.

Wendy’s Price Performance

Shares of WEN opened at $7.48 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $1.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.38. The Wendy’s Company has a twelve month low of $7.08 and a twelve month high of $16.20. 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $8.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $8.94.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.02. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 125.74% and a net margin of 8.43%.The business had revenue of $439.60 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $537.11 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.25 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. Wendy’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.600 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

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

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.