Legacy Capital Group California Inc. Makes New $631,000 Investment in The Wendy’s Company $WEN

Legacy Capital Group California Inc. acquired a new stake in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 68,881 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $631,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Wendy’s during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $2,428,000. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 81.2% in the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 348,245 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,977,000 after purchasing an additional 156,068 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy’s during the second quarter worth approximately $18,929,000. Alps Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 71.7% during the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 634,304 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $5,810,000 after purchasing an additional 264,905 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board acquired a new stake in shares of Wendy’s during the third quarter worth $5,651,000. 85.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $8.50 to $7.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Wendy’s from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, February 21st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $8.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Monday, February 16th. Finally, Zacks Research raised Wendy’s from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, fifteen have issued a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $9.00.

Key Wendy’s News

Here are the key news stories impacting Wendy’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: High‑profile marketing push — Wendy’s is running a national contest to hire a “Chief Tasting Officer” for $100,000. The stunt has generated widespread earned media and social‑media engagement, likely boosting short‑term brand awareness and restaurant traffic. Wendy’s is hiring a chief tasting officer
• Positive Sentiment: Free publicity from fast‑food “burger feud” — Wendy’s public responses and participation in viral taste‑test exchanges with McDonald’s and Burger King are extending the campaign’s reach without large incremental ad spend, reinforcing brand relevance in a competitive category. Burger King, Wendy’s respond to McDonald’s CEO’s viral taste-test video
• Positive Sentiment: International unit growth — Wendy’s signed franchise deals to open 60+ restaurants in Mexico, accelerating its international expansion and providing a tangible growth runway beyond U.S. same‑store sales. This is a longer‑term revenue driver if execution holds. Wendy’s Accelerates Mexico Expansion With Over 60 New Restaurants
• Neutral Sentiment: Broad media saturation — Multiple consumer and local outlets are covering the hiring contest (MSN, Yahoo, AOL, NBC, etc.). Good for awareness but not a guaranteed driver of sustained sales; monitor any sequential comp/margin signals. Wendy’s offers fast food lovers unique $100K job opportunity
• Negative Sentiment: Fundamentals & investor caution — MarketBeat notes shares remain under pressure despite an EPS beat; Wendy’s revenue has shown year‑over‑year weakness and the company’s recent results contained a revenue miss. That creates a risk that marketing momentum won’t offset slowing sales or margin pressure. MarketBeat Week in Review – Wendy’s mention
• Negative Sentiment: Macro volatility risk — Incoming inflation prints and geopolitics are keeping restaurant stocks volatile; consumer spending beats or misses will matter more than PR stunts for forward earnings. MarketBeat Week in Review

Wendy’s Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WEN opened at $7.42 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.77, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 1.76. The Wendy’s Company has a one year low of $6.73 and a one year high of $15.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.73, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.38. The company’s fifty day moving average is $7.97 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.67.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $439.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $537.11 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 7.58% and a return on equity of 145.93%. The business’s revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.25 EPS. Wendy’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.600 EPS. Analysts forecast that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.5%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 65.88%.

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.