Analysts Set The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) PT at $8.04

Shares of The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Reduce” from the twenty-two ratings firms that are covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, thirteen have issued a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $8.0375.

Several research analysts have commented on WEN shares. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Stephens reaffirmed an “equal weight” rating and set a $8.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Wendy’s from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 16th. Mizuho set a $6.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Friday, July 17th.

Wendy’s Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WEN opened at $7.36 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.44, a P/E/G ratio of 0.53 and a beta of 0.36. The company has a quick ratio of 1.81, a current ratio of 1.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.25. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $7.40 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $7.44. Wendy’s has a twelve month low of $6.07 and a twelve month high of $10.84.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The restaurant operator reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.10 by $0.02. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 136.46% and a net margin of 6.77%.The business had revenue of $432.30 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $518.03 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.20 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. Wendy’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.600 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Wendy’s will post 0.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were paid a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.6%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is 71.79%.

Institutional Trading of Wendy’s

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. United Services Automobile Association purchased a new position in shares of Wendy’s in the first quarter worth $161,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its holdings in Wendy’s by 1.8% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 639,085 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $9,350,000 after acquiring an additional 11,072 shares during the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. grew its holdings in Wendy’s by 35.0% in the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 15,687 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $179,000 after acquiring an additional 4,067 shares during the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC increased its position in shares of Wendy’s by 136.9% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 27,776 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $318,000 after acquiring an additional 16,053 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp increased its position in shares of Wendy’s by 8.4% in the second quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 16,987 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $194,000 after acquiring an additional 1,310 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

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.