Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Makes New Investment in The Wendy’s Company $WEN

Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new position in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) in the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm bought 1,667,124 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $13,820,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WEN. Global Retirement Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Wendy’s during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Wendy’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Cassaday & Co Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Wendy’s in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Fifth Third Bancorp lifted its stake in Wendy’s by 161.0% in the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,829 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 2,362 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SJS Investment Consulting Inc. acquired a new stake in Wendy’s in the first quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WEN has been the topic of a number of research reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Wendy’s from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 16th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Morgan Stanley set a $5.50 price objective on Wendy’s in a report on Monday, August 10th. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and set a $6.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Monday, August 10th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Wendy’s presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and a consensus target price of $7.76.

Wendy’s Stock Up 3.2%

NASDAQ:WEN opened at $9.12 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $7.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $7.45. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.95, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.88. The Wendy’s Company has a one year low of $6.07 and a one year high of $10.62. The company has a market cap of $1.74 billion, a PE ratio of 13.82, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 0.37.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, August 7th. The restaurant operator reported $0.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.16 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $570.57 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $557.13 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 5.72% and a return on equity of 115.31%. The company’s revenue was up 1.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.29 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.51 earnings per share for the current year.

Wendy’s Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, September 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 1st will be paid a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, September 1st. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 3.1%. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is currently 84.85%.

More Wendy’s News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Wendy’s appointed former McDonald’s executive Tariq Hassan to the newly created role of chief marketing and customer growth officer. The hire is intended to strengthen marketing, improve customer traffic and support the company’s turnaround strategy. The Wendy’s Company Names Tariq Hassan Chief Marketing and Customer Growth Officer
• Positive Sentiment: Management is refocusing on food quality after acknowledging that cost-cutting allowed Wendy’s to lose ground to competitors. Plans to improve menu quality and “get back in the burger fight” could help rebuild brand perception, traffic and same-store sales over time. Wendy’s CEO Says Food Quality Hasn’t Been Chain’s Top Priority—Vows Changes
• Positive Sentiment: A limited-time promotion offering 10 nuggets for $1.99 may drive near-term customer visits and increase trial among value-conscious consumers. Wendy’s Launches $1.99 10-Piece Nuggets Deal
• Neutral Sentiment: The reported short-interest update shows zero shares short both before and after the measurement period, with a zero-day days-to-cover ratio. Because the data also reports an undefined percentage change, it provides no meaningful signal about short-covering or bearish positioning.
• Negative Sentiment: The $1.99 nugget offer could pressure restaurant-level margins if it encourages discount-driven sales rather than profitable incremental traffic; the deal also includes eligibility restrictions and is available only for a limited time. Wendy’s Customers Can Now Get 10 Nuggets for $1.99
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks issued a negative outlook for Wendy’s earnings, adding pressure to a stock whose turnaround still depends on improving traffic, food quality and profitability.

Wendy’s 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.