The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twenty-six analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, sixteen have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $10.2045.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WEN. Barclays decreased their target price on 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. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Royal Bank Of Canada restated a “sector perform” rating and issued a $8.50 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group decreased their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a report on Monday, October 13th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in Wendy’s during the second quarter valued at about $25,000. Investors Research Corp purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy’s during the third quarter valued at $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc boosted its position in shares of Wendy’s by 19,693.8% in the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,167 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 3,151 shares during the period. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its stake in Wendy’s by 205.0% in the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 3,257 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 2,189 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp raised its holdings in Wendy’s by 161.0% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,829 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 2,362 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s Stock Down 2.6%

Shares of NASDAQ:WEN opened at $7.81 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 26.89. The firm has a market cap of $1.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.31, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.38. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $8.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $9.01. Wendy’s has a 12-month low of $7.60 and a 12-month high of $16.20.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The restaurant operator reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $442.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $535.75 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 8.43% and a return on equity of 125.74%. Wendy’s’s revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.25 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Wendy’s will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

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.