Analysts Set The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Price Target at $9.30

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the twenty-six brokerages that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, sixteen have assigned a hold recommendation, four have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $9.3043.

WEN has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Wendy’s from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $8.50 to $7.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Argus raised shares of Wendy’s to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Wendy’s from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $9.00 to $7.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 23rd.

Wendy’s Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WEN opened at $7.15 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.77. Wendy’s has a 12 month low of $6.73 and a 12 month high of $15.79. The company has a market capitalization of $1.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.41, a PEG ratio of 2.11 and a beta of 0.38. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $8.01 and its 200 day moving average is $8.71.

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

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.8%. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is 65.88%.

Institutional Trading of Wendy’s

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

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.