Analysts Set The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Price Target at $22.47

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) has been given a consensus recommendation of “Hold” by the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Twelve equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $22.53.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on WEN shares. Royal Bank of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein lowered Wendy’s from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $24.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Thursday, February 22nd. Truist Financial dropped their price objective on Wendy’s from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. BMO Capital Markets decreased their target price on Wendy’s from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded Wendy’s from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $22.00 to $19.00 in a report on Wednesday, February 21st.

Wendy’s Trading Up 1.6 %

NASDAQ WEN opened at $20.14 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.14 billion, a PE ratio of 20.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.82. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $18.62 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $19.00. The company has a current ratio of 2.19, a quick ratio of 2.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.66. Wendy’s has a 12 month low of $17.64 and a 12 month high of $23.90.

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

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 1st were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.97%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 102.04%.

Insider Transactions at Wendy’s

In other news, Director Kenneth W. Gilbert sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.07, for a total value of $81,315.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 31,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $565,663.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 17.10% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wendy’s

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Highlander Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Wendy’s by 250.0% during the fourth quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 1,400 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of Wendy’s by 112.0% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,444 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 763 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management boosted its stake 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 buying an additional 1,016 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Wendy’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of Wendy’s by 145.8% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,116 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $41,000 after acquiring an additional 1,255 shares during the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.