Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Earns Equal Weight Rating from Stephens

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN)‘s stock had its “equal weight” rating reaffirmed by stock analysts at Stephens in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Benzinga reports. They presently have a $20.00 price objective on the restaurant operator’s stock. Stephens’ price objective points to a potential upside of 1.94% from the company’s previous close.

WEN has been the subject of several other research reports. Royal Bank of Canada cut their price target on Wendy’s from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Truist Financial reduced their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Barclays cut shares of Wendy’s from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $23.00 to $21.00 in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price objective on Wendy’s from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 16th. Finally, Wedbush increased their price objective on Wendy’s from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Wendy’s currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $22.53.

Wendy’s Stock Performance

WEN opened at $19.62 on Thursday. Wendy’s has a 52-week low of $17.64 and a 52-week high of $23.90. The company has a quick ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.66. The company has a market cap of $4.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.02, a PEG ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.78. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $18.69 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $19.03.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The restaurant operator reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.23 by ($0.02). Wendy’s had a return on equity of 56.24% and a net margin of 9.37%. The company had revenue of $540.65 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $546.47 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.22 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up .8% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Wendy’s will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kenneth W. Gilbert sold 4,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.07, for a total value of $81,315.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 31,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $565,663.28. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 17.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wendy’s

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Highlander Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 250.0% during the 4th quarter. Highlander Capital Management LLC now owns 1,400 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $27,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in shares of Wendy’s by 112.0% during the third quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,444 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 763 shares in the last quarter. Spire Wealth Management lifted its position in shares of Wendy’s by 203.2% during the third quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 1,516 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 1,016 shares in the last quarter. Quarry LP purchased a new position in shares of Wendy’s in the fourth quarter valued at $34,000. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC grew its holdings in Wendy’s by 145.8% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,116 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $41,000 after purchasing an additional 1,255 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s Company Profile

The Wendy's Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a quick-service restaurant company in the United States and internationally. It operates through Wendy's U.S., Wendy's International, and Global Real Estate & Development segments. The company is involved in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants specializing in hamburger sandwiches.