Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Given New $16.00 Price Target at Stifel Nicolaus

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) had its target price decreased by equities researchers at Stifel Nicolaus from $17.00 to $16.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “hold” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target points to a potential upside of 6.99% from the company’s current price.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and issued a $14.00 price objective (down from $22.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $15.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Thursday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Wedbush lifted their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $15.50 to $16.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Wendy’s presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $18.88.

Wendy’s Stock Down 0.2 %

Wendy’s stock opened at $14.96 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a current ratio of 1.85. Wendy’s has a fifty-two week low of $13.72 and a fifty-two week high of $20.65. The company has a market capitalization of $3.05 billion, a PE ratio of 15.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.77. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $15.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.08.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $574.27 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $564.17 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 75.56%. Research analysts expect that Wendy’s will post 1.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WEN. Creative Planning grew its position in Wendy’s by 3.7% during the third quarter. Creative Planning now owns 203,162 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,559,000 after buying an additional 7,180 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 39.6% in the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 3,690 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $65,000 after purchasing an additional 1,046 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 1,562.9% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 32,710 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $573,000 after purchasing an additional 30,743 shares in the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 11.4% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 101,318 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,802,000 after purchasing an additional 10,378 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 275.7% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 150,462 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,636,000 after buying an additional 110,418 shares during the period. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wendy’s Company Profile

The Wendy’s Co engages in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants. It offers hamburgers and related products, such as chicken breast sandwiches, nuggets, chili, and baked potatoes, French fries, freshly prepared salads, soft drinks, milk, coffee, frosty deserts, and kid’s meals.