The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Stock to Pay Quarterly Dividend of $0.07

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) announced a quarterly dividend on Thursday, November 5th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, December 1st will be given a dividend of $0.07 per share by the restaurant operator on Tuesday, December 15th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 3.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, December 1st.

Wendy’s has raised its dividend payment by an average of 0.2% per year over the last three years. Wendy’s has a dividend payout ratio of 26.7% meaning its dividend is sufficiently covered by earnings. Equities analysts expect Wendy’s to earn $0.48 per share next year, which means the company should continue to be able to cover its $0.28 annual dividend with an expected future payout ratio of 58.3%.

Wendy’s Trading Up 3.8%

Shares of NASDAQ WEN traded up $0.29 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $7.94. 12,069,191 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 10,958,167. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $6.97 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $7.37. The company has a market capitalization of $1.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 0.37. Wendy’s has a 12 month low of $5.94 and a 12 month high of $10.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 27.95, a current ratio of 1.90 and a quick ratio of 1.88.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, November 5th. The restaurant operator reported $0.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $435.62 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $531.28 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 5.72% and a return on equity of 115.31%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.24 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Wendy’s will post 0.50 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have issued reports on the company. Seaport Research Partners initiated coverage on Wendy’s in a research note on Wednesday, September 16th. They issued a “neutral” rating for the company. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $6.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Wednesday, October 28th. UBS Group lowered their target price on Wendy’s from $8.00 to $6.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 26th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Thursday, October 15th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $5.50 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Monday, August 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have issued a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Wendy’s currently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $7.42.

About Wendy’s

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ: WEN) operates and franchises quick-service restaurants under the Wendy’s brand. Its restaurants are known for hamburgers made with fresh, never-frozen beef, along with chicken sandwiches, salads, fries, breakfast items, desserts, and beverages.

Founded by Dave Thomas in 1969, Wendy’s has grown into an international restaurant chain with locations primarily in the United States and Canada, as well as select markets in other countries. The company’s restaurant system includes both company-operated and franchised locations.

In addition to its restaurant operations, Wendy’s supports customers through digital ordering, delivery, loyalty programs, and mobile applications.