Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Research Coverage Started at Stephens

Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) in a research report report published on Friday, MarketBeat.com reports. The firm issued an equal weight rating and a $20.00 price target on the restaurant operator’s stock.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on WEN. Truist Financial reduced their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a market perform rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded shares of Wendy’s from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and reduced their price target for the company from $24.00 to $20.00 in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. TD Cowen reiterated a hold rating and issued a $19.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a sector perform rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $22.47.

Wendy’s Stock Down 0.5 %

WEN opened at $18.60 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.66, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a current ratio of 2.19. Wendy’s has a fifty-two week low of $17.64 and a fifty-two week high of $23.90. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $18.54 and its 200 day moving average is $19.02. The stock has a market cap of $3.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.82 and a beta of 0.82.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 15th. The restaurant operator reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.02). Wendy’s had a net margin of 9.37% and a return on equity of 56.24%. The firm had revenue of $540.65 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $546.47 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.22 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Wendy’s will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.38%. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is 102.04%.

Insider Activity at Wendy’s

In related news, Director Kenneth W. Gilbert sold 4,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.07, for a total transaction of $81,315.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 31,304 shares in the company, valued at approximately $565,663.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 20.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wendy’s

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WEN. Highlander Capital Management LLC boosted its position in Wendy’s by 250.0% in the 4th quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 1,400 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of Wendy’s by 112.0% in the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,444 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 763 shares during the period. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Advisors Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Spire Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Wendy’s by 203.2% in the 3rd quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,516 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,016 shares during the period. 85.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Wendy’s

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.