Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Price Target Cut to $8.00 by Analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) had its price target reduced by Royal Bank Of Canada from $8.50 to $8.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Royal Bank Of Canada currently has a sector perform rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Stephens dropped their target price on Wendy’s from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. BMO Capital Markets dropped their price objective on Wendy’s from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a “market perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a “sell” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Finally, TD Cowen dropped their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $9.00 to $6.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $9.39.

Wendy’s Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WEN opened at $7.00 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.24, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.38. Wendy’s has a one year low of $6.73 and a one year high of $16.20. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $8.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $8.89. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.77.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $439.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $537.11 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 7.58% and a return on equity of 145.93%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.25 EPS. Wendy’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.600 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Wendy’s will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, March 2nd. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is currently 65.88%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wendy’s

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in shares of Wendy’s in the third quarter worth about $36,912,000. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 38.1% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,705,610 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $97,508,000 after purchasing an additional 3,227,366 shares during the last quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN increased its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 258.6% in the fourth quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 4,224,648 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $35,191,000 after purchasing an additional 3,046,517 shares in the last quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position 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 purchasing an additional 1,915,465 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Wendy’s in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $18,929,000. Institutional investors own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Wendy’s

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

• Positive Sentiment: Cheap valuation and rebound potential: several writeups argue WEN is deeply valued vs. peers and could rally if comps and margins stabilize — this is a constructive long‑term note for value investors. Wendy’s Stock Is Cheap, But Can the Turnaround Actually Work?
• Positive Sentiment: Some analysts still see upside: Truist trimmed its price target but maintained a Buy rating, indicating there are analysts who expect a recovery if execution improves. WEN price target lowered by Truist
• Positive Sentiment: Promotions and seasonal menu tie‑ins continue (Thin Mints Frosty), which help traffic and community engagement in the near term. The Iconic Duo Returns: Wendy’s Thin Mints Frosty Is Back
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst moves: RBC and BMO lowered price targets and shifted to more conservative ratings (sector/market perform), compressing near‑term sentiment even where some firms remain constructive on upside. Benzinga coverage of analyst target changes
• Negative Sentiment: Soft outlook and guidance: the company issued a weaker outlook and warned U.S. comps remain pressured, a primary catalyst for today’s selloff. Wendy’s Stock Sinks To Six-Year Low After Soft Outlook
• Negative Sentiment: Large-scale closures announced (~300 U.S. locations): management plans to close hundreds of underperforming restaurants to refocus the footprint, which highlights weak U.S. performance and raises short‑term comps, execution and cash‑flow concerns. Wendy’s to close roughly 300 US locations
• Negative Sentiment: Investor sentiment turned sharply negative: unusually heavy put buying and elevated short interest signal hedging/speculative bearish bets that can accelerate selling pressure. (Options flow reported intraday.)
• Negative Sentiment: Critical coverage and downgrades: multiple bearish takes and at least one downgrade argue Wendy’s is losing share in key categories, increasing the risk of further margin pressure and potential dividend/buyback cuts. Why Wendy’s Stock Tanked on Tuesday Wendy’s: Falling Sharply Behind In Fast Food Wars (Seeking Alpha)

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.