Equities Analysts Offer Predictions for The Wendy’s Company’s Q2 2024 Earnings (NASDAQ:WEN)

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) – Equities researchers at Wedbush decreased their Q2 2024 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Wendy’s in a note issued to investors on Friday, April 26th. Wedbush analyst N. Setyan now forecasts that the restaurant operator will earn $0.27 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.28. Wedbush has a “Neutral” rating and a $20.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Wendy’s’ current full-year earnings is $0.99 per share. Wedbush also issued estimates for Wendy’s’ Q1 2025 earnings at $0.25 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.33 EPS and Q4 2025 earnings at $0.28 EPS.

WEN has been the subject of a number of other reports. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Wendy’s from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $24.00 to $20.00 in a report on Thursday, February 22nd. Stephens initiated coverage on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Friday, April 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $20.00 target price for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. downgraded shares of Wendy’s from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $22.00 to $19.00 in a research report on Wednesday, February 21st. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Wednesday, April 10th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price target on Wendy’s from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, Wendy’s currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $22.53.

Wendy’s Price Performance

WEN stock opened at $20.07 on Monday. Wendy’s has a 1 year low of $17.64 and a 1 year high of $23.90. The business’s 50-day moving average is $18.65 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.66, a current ratio of 2.19 and a quick ratio of 2.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.12 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.48, a P/E/G ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.82.

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

Institutional Trading of Wendy’s

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WEN. Advisor Resource Council acquired a new stake in shares of Wendy’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $372,000. Highlander Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 193.7% in the 3rd quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 1,277,958 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,083,000 after purchasing an additional 842,856 shares during the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 484.0% during the 3rd quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 209,718 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $4,280,000 after acquiring an additional 173,805 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,248,412 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $413,270,000 after acquiring an additional 1,162,540 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wendy’s

In related news, Director Kenneth W. Gilbert sold 4,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.07, for a total value of $81,315.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now 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 this link. 17.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.98%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is currently 102.04%.

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.