Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Price Target Lowered to $9.00 at Evercore ISI

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) had its target price lowered by Evercore ISI from $11.00 to $9.00 in a report released on Thursday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm currently has an in-line rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other brokerages have also commented on WEN. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on Wendy’s from $12.00 to $11.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 31st. TD Cowen decreased their target price on Wendy’s from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 10th. Argus reissued a “hold” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Tuesday, September 23rd. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $9.00 to $8.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, December 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.39.

Wendy’s Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WEN opened at $8.38 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 26.89, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.81. Wendy’s has a one year low of $7.83 and a one year high of $16.20. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.91, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 0.39. The company’s fifty day moving average is $8.42 and its two-hundred day moving average is $9.51.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The restaurant operator reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $442.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $535.75 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 8.43% and a return on equity of 125.74%. The business’s revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.25 EPS. Wendy’s has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.820-0.890 EPS. Analysts forecast that Wendy’s will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.7%. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is presently 59.57%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wendy’s

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WEN. Gradient Investments LLC raised its holdings in Wendy’s by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 836,626 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $9,554,000 after acquiring an additional 48,736 shares during the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the second quarter valued at $2,428,000. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Wendy’s by 398.2% in the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 192,177 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $2,812,000 after purchasing an additional 153,604 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Wendy’s in the second quarter valued at $18,929,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Wendy’s during the second quarter worth about $448,000. 85.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wendy’s Company Profile

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) operates as a global quick-service restaurant chain, best known for its square-shaped beef patties, fresh ingredient sourcing and signature Frosty dessert. The company’s menu features a variety of hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, breakfast sandwiches, sides and beverages, designed to appeal to a broad customer base seeking both classic and contemporary fast-food options. Wendy’s has placed particular emphasis on product innovation, introducing limited-time offerings and revamped core menu items to maintain customer interest and respond to evolving dining trends.

Founded in 1969 by entrepreneur Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio, Wendy’s expanded rapidly through both company-owned and franchised outlets.