Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Price Target Lowered to $10.00 at Truist Financial

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) had its price target cut by Truist Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 in a research report sent to investors on Tuesday, MarketBeat reports. They currently have a buy rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

WEN has been the subject of several other research reports. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $7.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Monday. BMO Capital Markets decreased their price target on Wendy’s from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Argus raised Wendy’s to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $9.00 price objective on Wendy’s in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their target price on Wendy’s from $9.00 to $6.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $9.39.

Wendy’s Stock Down 6.4%

WEN opened at $7.00 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.77, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.74. Wendy’s has a 12 month low of $6.73 and a 12 month high of $16.20. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.33 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.24, a P/E/G ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.38. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $8.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.89.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.02. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 145.93% and a net margin of 7.58%.The firm had revenue of $439.60 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $537.11 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.25 earnings per share. Wendy’s’s revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Wendy’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.600 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Wendy’s will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd will be given a dividend of $0.14 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.0%. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 65.88%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WEN. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its position in Wendy’s by 30.1% during the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 13,843,438 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $158,092,000 after purchasing an additional 3,205,269 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 3.3% during the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 7,091,847 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $59,075,000 after buying an additional 227,023 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 5.8% during the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 6,549,066 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $54,554,000 after buying an additional 357,814 shares during the last quarter. State Street Corp raised its position in shares of Wendy’s by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. State Street Corp now owns 5,446,335 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $45,368,000 after buying an additional 102,084 shares during the period. Finally, Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership raised its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 1,915,465 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting 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.