Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Stock Rating Reaffirmed by Stephens

Stephens reaffirmed their equal weight rating on shares of Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) in a report issued on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $19.00 target price on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $20.00 to $18.00 and set an equal weight rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Wendy’s from $22.00 to $21.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 9th. TD Cowen reissued a hold rating and issued a $17.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Monday, September 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group assumed coverage on Wendy’s in a research note on Thursday, June 13th. They issued a sell rating and a $16.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Wendy’s from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a hold rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $20.12.

Wendy’s Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of Wendy’s stock opened at $18.03 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $17.19 and its 200-day moving average price is $17.61. The company has a quick ratio of 2.15, a current ratio of 2.17 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.01. Wendy’s has a 52-week low of $15.61 and a 52-week high of $20.65. The company has a market cap of $3.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.21, a PEG ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 0.80.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The restaurant operator reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.28 by ($0.01). Wendy’s had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 67.74%. The company had revenue of $570.73 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $577.15 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.28 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Wendy’s will post 0.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.55%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 101.01%.

Insider Transactions at Wendy’s

In related news, Director Matthew H. Peltz sold 1,000,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.18, for a total transaction of $17,180,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,943,466 shares in the company, valued at $256,728,745.88. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Company insiders own 17.10% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wendy’s

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 378.0% in the 1st quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 1,568 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 1,240 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in Wendy’s during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in Wendy’s during the fourth quarter worth approximately $34,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in Wendy’s by 483.2% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,872 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 1,551 shares during the period. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Wendy’s in the second quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 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.