Research Analysts Set Expectations for Wendy’s Q1 Earnings

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) – Equities researchers at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Wendy’s in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, October 24th. Zacks Research analyst H. Ray now forecasts that the restaurant operator will post earnings of $0.28 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $0.29. The consensus estimate for Wendy’s’ current full-year earnings is $0.98 per share.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on WEN. TD Cowen increased their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $19.50 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Stephens reissued an “equal weight” rating and issued a $19.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their target price on Wendy’s from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Tigress Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $29.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $20.22.

Wendy’s Stock Down 0.6 %

WEN stock opened at $20.28 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.16 billion, a PE ratio of 20.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.47 and a beta of 0.80. 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 twelve month low of $15.61 and a twelve month high of $20.65. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $17.86 and its 200-day moving average is $17.69.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The restaurant operator reported $0.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $570.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $577.15 million. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 67.74% and a net margin of 9.18%. Wendy’s’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.28 earnings per share.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were paid a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 4.93%. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 101.01%.

Insider Transactions at Wendy’s

In other Wendy’s 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 sale, the director now owns 14,943,466 shares in the company, valued at $256,728,745.88. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 17.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of WEN. Fort Pitt Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 12.6% during the third quarter. Fort Pitt Capital Group LLC now owns 245,595 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $4,303,000 after purchasing an additional 27,558 shares during the period. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC bought a new stake in Wendy’s during the 3rd quarter valued at $194,000. GW Henssler & Associates Ltd. purchased a new stake in Wendy’s during the 3rd quarter valued at $187,000. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Wendy’s by 72.0% in the 3rd quarter. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC now owns 66,843 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $1,171,000 after acquiring an additional 27,989 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nisa Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Wendy’s by 3.8% in the third quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC now owns 26,865 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $471,000 after acquiring an additional 995 shares during the period. 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.