Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Hits New 12-Month Low – Here’s Why

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN)’s share price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $6.67 and last traded at $6.6650, with a volume of 787583 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $6.89.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have commented on WEN shares. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Wendy’s from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 21st. Stifel Nicolaus set a $8.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Monday, February 16th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $8.00 to $7.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 9th. Argus upgraded shares of Wendy’s to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Evercore set a $8.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Wendy’s currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $9.00.

Wendy’s Stock Up 1.2%

The company has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.88 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a current ratio of 1.76, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.77. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $7.31 and its 200-day moving average price is $8.10.

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

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 8.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is 65.88%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wendy’s

A number of large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in Wendy’s by 30.1% during the 2nd 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 in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted 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 worth $59,075,000 after buying an additional 227,023 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its stake 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 boosted its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 1.9% during 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 last quarter. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 258.6% during the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 4,224,648 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $35,191,000 after buying an additional 3,046,517 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

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.