The Wendy’s Company $WEN Shares Purchased by State of Alaska Department of Revenue

State of Alaska Department of Revenue raised its position in The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) by 399.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 90,564 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 72,427 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue’s holdings in Wendy’s were worth $829,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Wendy’s by 30.1% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 13,843,438 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $158,092,000 after buying an additional 3,205,269 shares during the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its stake in Wendy’s by 61.3% in the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,041,012 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $57,568,000 after acquiring an additional 1,915,465 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Wendy’s in the 2nd quarter valued at $18,929,000. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 6,474.9% during the second quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 1,134,230 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $12,953,000 after purchasing an additional 1,116,979 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JCP Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the second quarter valued at $8,644,000. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wendy’s News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Wendy’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wendy’s launched “Biggie Deals,” a revamped value menu offering combos (nuggets, burgers, fries, drink) priced as low as $4 — a move that could boost traffic and frequency among value-conscious customers. Article Title
• Positive Sentiment: Multiple consumer-facing articles highlight cheaper meal deals and a broader $4–$8 value tier, which may help Wendy’s compete for price-sensitive consumers vs. rivals like Taco Bell. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company set a near-term calendar catalyst — Wendy’s will report Q4 and full-year 2025 results and provide 2026 outlook before the market opens on Feb. 13, which should clarify whether the value push is already affecting sales and margins. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Some coverage criticizes the menu revamp (reports that Biggie Bags were shrunk and the prior 4 for $4 deal was eliminated), flagging potential franchisee/customer backlash and execution risk that could blunt upside. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Investors worry the lower-priced offers could compress average checks and margins; the company’s most recent quarter showed revenue weakness vs. expectations, so any margin pressure or weaker AUV (average unit volumes) would be a negative signal. Article Title

Wendy’s Stock Down 2.6%

NASDAQ WEN opened at $8.32 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 26.89. The Wendy’s Company has a fifty-two week low of $7.83 and a fifty-two week high of $16.20. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $8.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $9.34. The stock has a market cap of $1.58 billion, a PE ratio of 8.85, a P/E/G ratio of 1.58 and a beta of 0.39.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last posted its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The restaurant operator reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $442.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 for the quarter was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.25 earnings per share. Wendy’s has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.820-0.890 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 6.7%. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 59.57%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently weighed in on WEN. Northcoast Research downgraded Wendy’s from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $7.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $9.00 price target (down previously from $12.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Wednesday, December 3rd. UBS Group decreased their target price on Wendy’s from $9.50 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $9.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Wendy’s from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Wendy’s has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $10.34.

About Wendy’s

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.