The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Analysts

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) has received a consensus rating of “Hold” from the twenty analysts that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $18.08.

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Argus raised Wendy’s to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $14.00 price objective (down previously from $22.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and set a $16.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $17.00 target price (down previously from $20.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Barclays boosted their price objective on Wendy’s from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th.

Wendy’s Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of WEN stock opened at $15.26 on Monday. Wendy’s has a fifty-two week low of $13.72 and a fifty-two week high of $20.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.06, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.73. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $14.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $16.83. 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 (NASDAQ:WEN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $574.27 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $564.17 million. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 75.56% and a net margin of 8.65%. Research analysts expect that Wendy’s will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.55%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 105.26%.

Institutional Trading of Wendy’s

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in shares of Wendy’s by 670.3% in the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,402 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,220 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. purchased a new position in Wendy’s during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new position in Wendy’s during the fourth quarter worth about $31,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Wendy’s by 168.1% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Wendy’s during the fourth quarter worth about $46,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

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.