Citigroup Has Lowered Expectations for Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Stock Price

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) had its price objective reduced by investment analysts at Citigroup from $7.75 to $7.25 in a research report issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “neutral” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Citigroup’s target price would suggest a potential downside of 3.91% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on WEN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated an “underweight” rating and issued a $6.00 price target (down from $7.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Monday, May 11th. BMO Capital Markets reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Argus raised shares of Wendy’s from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $12.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. KeyCorp reiterated a “sector weight” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Mizuho set a $6.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Friday, May 1st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have issued a Hold rating and six have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $8.04.

Wendy’s Stock Up 3.2%

Shares of WEN stock traded up $0.23 on Tuesday, hitting $7.54. The stock had a trading volume of 2,439,664 shares, compared to its average volume of 12,545,849. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $7.42 and its 200-day moving average is $7.46. The firm has a market capitalization of $1.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.66, a P/E/G ratio of 0.51 and a beta of 0.36. Wendy’s has a 52-week low of $6.07 and a 52-week high of $10.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.25, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a current ratio of 1.83.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The restaurant operator reported $0.12 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.10 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $432.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $518.03 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 6.77% and a return on equity of 136.46%. The firm’s revenue was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.20 EPS. Wendy’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.600 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that Wendy’s will post 0.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Wendy’s

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WEN. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 82.8% in the 2nd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 82,939 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $741,000 after buying an additional 37,564 shares during the period. A&I Financial Services LLC grew its position in shares of Wendy’s by 29.5% during the 2nd quarter. A&I Financial Services LLC now owns 108,882 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $903,000 after buying an additional 24,817 shares during the last quarter. Vista Investment Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Wendy’s during the second quarter worth about $172,000. Atlas Brown Inc. raised its stake in Wendy’s by 16.7% during the second quarter. Atlas Brown Inc. now owns 35,000 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $290,000 after acquiring an additional 5,000 shares during the period. Finally, PVG Asset Management Corp bought a new position in Wendy’s in the first quarter worth about $349,000. 85.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Wendy’s

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.