Wendy’s Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NASDAQ:WEN)

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) was the target of some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors purchased 45,003 put options on the company. This represents an increase of 265% compared to the average volume of 12,342 put options.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on WEN shares. Stephens cut their target price on Wendy’s from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Evercore set a $8.00 price target on Wendy’s in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “underweight” rating and set a $7.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Monday, February 16th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $8.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Monday, February 16th. One 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Wendy’s currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $9.00.

Wendy’s Stock Down 0.3%

NASDAQ:WEN opened at $7.11 on Wednesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.22 and a 200-day simple moving average of $8.02. 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 company has a market cap of $1.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.40. Wendy’s has a twelve month low of $6.63 and a twelve month high of $13.06.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $439.60 million during 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 firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.25 EPS. Wendy’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.600 EPS. Analysts anticipate that Wendy’s will post 0.58 EPS for the current year.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 7.9%. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is 65.88%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WEN. Alps Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 71.7% in the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 634,304 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,810,000 after acquiring an additional 264,905 shares in the last quarter. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC grew its holdings in Wendy’s by 382.8% during the 3rd quarter. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC now owns 1,216,811 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $11,146,000 after acquiring an additional 964,771 shares in the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board purchased a new position in Wendy’s during the 3rd quarter valued at about $5,651,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. increased its position in Wendy’s by 107.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 759,620 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $6,958,000 after purchasing an additional 393,105 shares during the period. Finally, Advisors Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 17.0% in the 3rd quarter. Advisors Asset Management Inc. now owns 512,405 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $4,694,000 after purchasing an additional 74,434 shares in the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.