Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Upgraded to “Hold” at Argus

Argus upgraded shares of Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) to a hold rating in a research report report published on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also issued reports on WEN. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Wendy’s from $8.00 to $7.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 9th. UBS Group cut their target price on Wendy’s from $9.50 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $11.00 to $9.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $11.00 to $9.00 and set an “in-line” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Wendy’s has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $10.30.

Wendy’s Trading Up 0.8%

NASDAQ WEN opened at $8.43 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 26.89, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.81. Wendy’s has a one year low of $7.83 and a one year high of $16.20. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $8.35 and a 200-day simple moving average of $9.27. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a PE ratio of 8.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.39.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last issued its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The restaurant operator reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.04. Wendy’s had a net margin of 8.43% and a return on equity of 125.74%. The firm had revenue of $442.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $535.75 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.25 earnings per share. Wendy’s’s revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Wendy’s has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.820-0.890 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Wendy’s will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were given a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.6%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 59.57%.

Institutional Trading of Wendy’s

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Marshall Wace LLP acquired a new position in shares of Wendy’s during the third quarter valued at approximately $36,912,000. AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Wendy’s by 30.1% during the 2nd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 13,843,438 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $158,092,000 after purchasing an additional 3,205,269 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership boosted its stake in Wendy’s by 61.3% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,041,012 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $57,568,000 after purchasing an additional 1,915,465 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Wendy’s during the 2nd quarter valued at $18,929,000. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 6,474.9% in the 2nd quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,134,230 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $12,953,000 after buying an additional 1,116,979 shares in the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.