Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Given “Equal Weight” Rating at Stephens

Stephens reissued their equal weight rating on shares of Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) in a research note released on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $14.00 price objective on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the company. Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $16.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Friday, March 7th. Truist Financial lowered their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $19.00 to $17.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 22nd. Morgan Stanley reissued an “underweight” rating and issued a $14.00 price objective (down previously from $22.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $17.00 target price (down from $20.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $16.00 to $14.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 28th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $17.36.

Wendy’s Trading Up 0.5 %

WEN stock opened at $12.55 on Friday. Wendy’s has a one year low of $12.05 and a one year high of $20.60. The stock has a market cap of $2.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $14.04 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $15.90. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.83.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The restaurant operator reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20. Wendy’s had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 75.56%. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.23 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Wendy’s will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Wendy’s Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, June 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 2nd will be given a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.46%. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is presently 105.26%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wendy’s

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC increased its holdings in Wendy’s by 3,249.7% in the fourth quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 1,568,348 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $25,564,000 after purchasing an additional 1,521,527 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. increased its position in Wendy’s by 296.1% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,882,829 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $30,690,000 after purchasing an additional 1,407,503 shares during the period. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new position in shares of Wendy’s in the 4th quarter worth approximately $16,678,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. bought a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the 4th quarter valued at $13,358,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Wendy’s by 93.0% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,591,281 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $25,938,000 after buying an additional 766,910 shares during the period. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Wendy’s

The Wendy’s Co engages in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants. It operates through the following segments: Wendy’s U.S., Wendy’s International, and Global Real Estate and Development. The Wendy’s U.S. segment includes the operation and franchising of Wendy’s restaurants in the U.S.