Truist Financial Has Lowered Expectations for Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Stock Price

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) had its price target reduced by investment analysts at Truist Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “buy” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Truist Financial’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 47.38% from the company’s previous close.

WEN has been the topic of a number of other reports. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and set a $8.50 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Monday, December 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $9.00 price objective (down previously from $12.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $9.00 to $6.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Stifel Nicolaus set a $8.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Monday. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Wendy’s from $9.00 to $8.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Wendy’s currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $9.52.

Wendy’s Stock Down 9.3%

Shares of NASDAQ WEN traded down $0.70 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $6.79. The company had a trading volume of 9,696,004 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,975,974. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.77. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.17 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $8.91. The company has a market capitalization of $1.29 billion, a PE ratio of 7.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.38. Wendy’s has a one year low of $6.74 and a one year high of $16.20.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $439.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $537.11 million. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 145.93% and a net margin of 7.58%.The business’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.25 earnings per share. Wendy’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.600 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Wendy’s will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wendy’s

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in Wendy’s in the 2nd quarter valued at $25,000. Investors Research Corp bought a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 19,693.8% in the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,167 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 3,151 shares in the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 205.0% in the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 3,257 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 2,189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in Wendy’s during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Institutional investors own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Marketing and product promo: Wendy’s relaunched the Thin Mints Frosty (Frosty Fusion and Swirl) for Girl Scout cookie season and is running promotional deals that could help traffic in the near term. These items also drive PR and community engagement through hosting cookie booths. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Customer buzz and promotional lift: multiple reviews and lifestyle pieces highlight the new Frosty offerings and $1 deals, which can boost short?term traffic and AUVs if executed broadly. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/deep?value narrative: market commentary notes WEN is trading at depressed multiples and could be a turnaround candidate, but warns turnaround execution is uncertain and short interest is elevated—this frames both upside potential and risk. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Consumer perception noise: social posts and columns claim a menu item appears smaller — not a material operational issue but potentially harmful to perception if it gains traction. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Large store closures: Wendy’s announced plans to close roughly 5% of its U.S. footprint (about 250–300 locations) to cut underperforming sites and refocus on value — a near?term headwind to revenue and a signal management is wrestling with U.S. traffic declines. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades / price?target cuts: BMO trimmed its price target from $11 to $9 and moved to Market Perform; other outlets highlight downgrades and bearish analyst commentary citing weak comps. That reduces near?term sentiment support. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive/strategy headwinds: industry coverage says Wendy’s continues to struggle breaking into breakfast and is losing U.S. market share, reinforcing concerns that core U.S. sales and margins will remain pressured. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Sell?side and short interest pressure: commentary and a Seeking Alpha downgrade highlight slowing fundamentals and elevated short interest—both amplify downside risk until comps and margins stabilize. Read More.

Wendy’s Company 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.