The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Declares $0.25 Quarterly Dividend

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) declared a quarterly dividend on Thursday, May 2nd, Zacks reports. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 3rd will be paid a dividend of 0.25 per share by the restaurant operator on Monday, June 17th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, June 3rd.

Wendy’s has raised its dividend payment by an average of 51.1% annually over the last three years and has raised its dividend annually for the last 3 consecutive years. Wendy’s has a payout ratio of 90.1% indicating that its dividend is currently covered by earnings, but may not be in the future if the company’s earnings fall. Analysts expect Wendy’s to earn $1.10 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $1.00 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 90.9%.

Wendy’s Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ WEN traded up $0.02 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $19.94. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,617,849 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,110,898. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $18.77 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $19.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.66, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 2.18. Wendy’s has a 1 year low of $17.64 and a 1 year high of $23.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.35, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.78.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 2nd. The restaurant operator reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $534.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $540.84 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 9.37% and a return on equity of 56.24%. The firm’s revenue was up 1.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.21 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Wendy’s will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Wendy’s news, Director Kenneth W. Gilbert sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 sale, the director now directly owns 31,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $565,663.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 17.10% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently weighed in on the stock. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $19.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Friday. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and issued a $20.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Thursday. Gordon Haskett cut shares of Wendy’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $21.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Wendy’s from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $22.00 to $19.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 21st. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Wendy’s has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.60.

Wendy’s Company Profile

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.