Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Upgraded at Argus

Argus upgraded shares of Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) to a hold rating in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms have also weighed in on WEN. TD Cowen dropped their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, November 10th. Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $8.00 to $7.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 9th. Jefferies Financial Group cut their price target on Wendy’s from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 13th. UBS Group decreased their price objective on Wendy’s from $9.50 to $8.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 6th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $10.30.

Wendy’s Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:WEN opened at $8.42 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 26.89, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.81. Wendy’s has a 52-week low of $7.83 and a 52-week high of $16.20. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $8.34 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $9.25. The firm has a market cap of $1.60 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.96, a PEG ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 0.39.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last issued its earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The restaurant operator reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.04. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 125.74% and a net margin of 8.43%.The company had revenue of $442.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $535.75 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.25 earnings per share. Wendy’s’s revenue for the quarter was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Wendy’s has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.820-0.890 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that Wendy’s will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, December 1st were given a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.7%. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is currently 59.57%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wendy’s

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Blueshift Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Wendy’s during the 2nd quarter valued at $2,428,000. Intech Investment Management LLC raised its stake in Wendy’s by 81.2% in the 2nd quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 348,245 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $3,977,000 after acquiring an additional 156,068 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Wendy’s during the second quarter valued at about $18,929,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Wendy’s during the second quarter worth about $448,000. Finally, Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 82.3% in the second quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 72,636 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $830,000 after purchasing an additional 32,792 shares in 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.