The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Receives Average Recommendation of “Reduce” from Brokerages

Posted by Stanley Muller on Aug 6th, 2026

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN – Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Reduce” from the twenty-two research firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have assigned a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $8.0375.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on the company. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Argus raised shares of Wendy’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $12.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, May 13th. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $8.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Tuesday, June 23rd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $6.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Tuesday, May 12th. Finally, KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th.

Check Out Our Latest Report on WEN

Wendy’s Trading Up 3.9%

Shares of WEN stock opened at $7.99 on Thursday. Wendy’s has a 12-month low of $6.07 and a 12-month high of $10.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.25. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $7.41 and its 200-day moving average price is $7.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.37.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, May 8th. The restaurant operator reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.10 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $432.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $518.03 million. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 136.46% and a net margin of 6.77%.The firm’s revenue was up 3.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.20 earnings per share. Wendy’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.600 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Wendy’s will post 0.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 1st. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.0%. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is 71.79%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in WEN. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its stake 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 acquiring an additional 3,205,269 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 3.3% in 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 purchasing an additional 227,023 shares during the last quarter. Morgan Stanley boosted its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 5.8% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 6,549,066 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $54,554,000 after purchasing an additional 357,814 shares during the period. State Street Corp increased its position 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 valued at $45,368,000 after purchasing an additional 102,084 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of Wendy’s by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 4,493,752 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $31,232,000 after purchasing an additional 236,541 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

About Wendy’s

(Get Free Report)

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.