The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty brokerages that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $20.36.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on WEN. Wolfe Research raised Wendy’s to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $18.00 to $18.75 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st.

Wendy’s Stock Up 0.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ:WEN opened at $16.17 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.64. Wendy’s has a fifty-two week low of $15.61 and a fifty-two week high of $20.65. The stock has a market cap of $3.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.42 and a beta of 0.78. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $17.95 and its 200 day moving average price is $17.55.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.25. The business had revenue of $566.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $560.50 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 8.76% and a return on equity of 70.02%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.27 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Wendy’s will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were paid a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.18%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 2nd. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 105.26%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wendy’s

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 168.1% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,400 shares during the period. Copley Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Wendy’s during the third quarter worth about $451,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama grew its position in Wendy’s by 16.9% during the third quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 711,267 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $12,461,000 after buying an additional 102,769 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. purchased a new position in Wendy’s in the third quarter valued at about $763,000. Finally, Sanctuary Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Wendy’s by 175.0% during the 3rd quarter. Sanctuary Advisors LLC now owns 68,316 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,228,000 after acquiring an additional 43,475 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s Company Profile

The Wendy's Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a quick-service restaurant company in the United States and internationally. It operates through Wendy's U.S., Wendy's International, and Global Real Estate & Development segments. The company is involved in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants specializing in hamburger sandwiches.