The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) has earned an average rating of "Hold" from the twenty analysts that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, fourteen have given a hold recommendation, four have given a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $20.22.
A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Wendy's from $23.00 to $19.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Wendy's from $20.00 to $19.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Wendy's from $20.00 to $18.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Loop Capital reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $26.00 price target on shares of Wendy's in a research report on Monday, July 15th. Finally, Citigroup upped their price objective on Wendy's from $18.00 to $18.75 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th.
View Our Latest Report on Wendy's
In related news, Director Matthew H. Peltz sold 1,000,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 14,943,466 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 available through the SEC website. Insiders own 17.10% of the company's stock.
A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Wendy's during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its stake in Wendy's by 378.0% in the first quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 1,568 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 1,240 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in Wendy's in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Wendy's during the second quarter worth $33,000. Finally, Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its position in Wendy's by 483.2% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,872 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,551 shares in the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Shares of NASDAQ:WEN opened at $19.68 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.01, a quick ratio of 2.15 and a current ratio of 2.17. The firm has a market cap of $4.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.88, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.80. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $17.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.64. Wendy's has a fifty-two week low of $15.61 and a fifty-two week high of $20.65.
Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 1st. The restaurant operator reported $0.27 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.28 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $570.73 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $577.15 million. Wendy's had a net margin of 9.18% and a return on equity of 67.74%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.28 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Wendy's will post 0.98 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
The business also recently announced 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 of this dividend was Tuesday, September 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 5.08%. Wendy's's dividend payout ratio is currently 101.01%.
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.
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