The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Receives $20.22 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) have received an average rating of “Hold” from the twenty ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $20.22.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Barclays reduced their price objective on Wendy’s from $20.00 to $18.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Loop Capital restated a “buy” rating and set a $26.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Monday, July 15th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Wendy’s from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Wendy’s from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price target on Wendy’s from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd.

Wendy’s Stock Up 1.5 %

WEN stock opened at $19.47 on Friday. Wendy’s has a 1-year low of $15.61 and a 1-year high of $20.65. The company has a current ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.01. The company’s 50 day moving average is $17.67 and its 200 day moving average is $17.67. The stock has a market cap of $3.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.80.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 1st. The restaurant operator reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.28 by ($0.01). Wendy’s had a return on equity of 67.74% and a net margin of 9.18%. The business had revenue of $570.73 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $577.15 million. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.28 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 1.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Wendy’s will post 0.98 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, September 17th. Investors of record on Tuesday, September 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 5.14%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, September 3rd. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 101.01%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wendy’s

In other news, Director Matthew H. Peltz sold 1,000,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $17.18, for a total value of $17,180,000.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 14,943,466 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $256,728,745.88. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 17.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wendy’s

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Wendy’s by 76.8% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 6,813,786 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $115,562,000 after buying an additional 2,960,526 shares in the last quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. acquired a new position in Wendy’s during the 2nd quarter worth $42,085,000. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its stake in Wendy’s by 113.6% during the 2nd quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 3,491,376 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $59,214,000 after purchasing an additional 1,856,970 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Wendy’s by 6.4% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 21,097,095 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $397,469,000 after buying an additional 1,273,140 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in Wendy’s during the 2nd quarter worth about $17,094,000. 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.