The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Analysts

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eighteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, eleven have given a hold recommendation, four have issued a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $18.81.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on WEN shares. UBS Group decreased their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 7th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Wendy’s from $17.00 to $16.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Wedbush raised their price objective on Wendy’s from $15.50 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, February 14th. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on Wendy’s from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $14.00 price target (down from $22.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Tuesday, January 21st.

Wendy’s Stock Up 3.5 %

Shares of Wendy’s stock opened at $15.51 on Thursday. Wendy’s has a 12-month low of $13.72 and a 12-month high of $20.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.16 billion, a PE ratio of 16.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.77. The company has a quick ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $15.39 and its 200-day moving average is $17.07.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 75.56% and a net margin of 8.65%. The firm had revenue of $574.27 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $564.17 million. Equities analysts anticipate that Wendy’s will post 1.01 earnings per share for the current year.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date is Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 6.45%. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 105.26%.

Institutional Trading of Wendy’s

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. MetLife Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Wendy’s by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 92,132 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,614,000 after buying an additional 590 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. grew its position in shares of Wendy’s by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 25,529 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $416,000 after purchasing an additional 717 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans lifted its position in shares of Wendy’s by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 57,400 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $979,000 after purchasing an additional 797 shares during the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Wendy’s by 6.1% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 15,634 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $255,000 after purchasing an additional 897 shares during the period. Finally, Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Wendy’s by 46.4% in the 4th quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 985 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s Company Profile

The Wendy’s Co engages in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants. It offers hamburgers and related products, such as chicken breast sandwiches, nuggets, chili, and baked potatoes, French fries, freshly prepared salads, soft drinks, milk, coffee, frosty deserts, and kid’s meals.