Stifel Nicolaus Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Stock Price

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) had its price target decreased by Stifel Nicolaus from $16.00 to $14.00 in a report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “hold” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective points to a potential upside of 11.64% from the stock’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also issued research reports about the stock. Wedbush restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $16.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $16.00 to $17.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 6th. TD Securities reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $16.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Truist Financial cut their price target on Wendy’s from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Wendy’s currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $17.97.

Wendy’s Stock Performance

Wendy’s stock opened at $12.54 on Tuesday. Wendy’s has a 12-month low of $12.05 and a 12-month high of $20.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.83. The company has a market capitalization of $2.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.61. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $14.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.34.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 75.56% and a net margin of 8.65%. The business had revenue of $574.27 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $564.17 million. On average, research analysts forecast that Wendy’s will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wendy’s

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. grew its position in Wendy’s by 670.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,402 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,220 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in Wendy’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new position in shares of Wendy’s during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 1,111.9% in the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,133 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,957 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Wendy’s by 168.1% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wendy’s Company Profile

The Wendy’s Co engages in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants. It operates through the following segments: Wendy’s U.S., Wendy’s International, and Global Real Estate and Development. The Wendy’s U.S. segment includes the operation and franchising of Wendy’s restaurants in the U.S.