Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Price Target Lowered to $10.00 at Truist Financial

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) had its target price cut by research analysts at Truist Financial from $11.00 to $10.00 in a report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “buy” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Truist Financial’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 47.38% from the stock’s current price.

WEN has been the subject of several other research reports. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Wendy’s from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Royal Bank Of Canada reiterated a “sector perform” rating and set a $8.50 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Monday, December 22nd. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $9.00 price target on Wendy’s in a research note on Wednesday, October 22nd. BMO Capital Markets reduced their price target on Wendy’s from $11.00 to $9.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price objective on Wendy’s from $8.00 to $7.00 and set an “underperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, sixteen have given a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $9.52.

Wendy’s Trading Down 9.3%

NASDAQ:WEN traded down $0.70 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $6.79. 9,696,004 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,975,974. The company has a market capitalization of $1.29 billion, a P/E ratio of 7.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.77. The company’s 50 day moving average is $8.17 and its two-hundred day moving average is $8.91. Wendy’s has a twelve month low of $6.74 and a twelve month high of $16.20.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $439.60 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $537.11 million. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 145.93% and a net margin of 7.58%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.25 earnings per share. Wendy’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.600 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Wendy’s will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WEN. Atom Investors LP lifted its position in Wendy’s by 182.4% in the 4th quarter. Atom Investors LP now owns 177,565 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,479,000 after acquiring an additional 114,689 shares in the last quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors raised its position in Wendy’s by 28.6% in the 4th quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 144,561 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,204,000 after buying an additional 32,147 shares during the last quarter. &PARTNERS bought a new stake in Wendy’s in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $155,000. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP boosted its position in Wendy’s by 147.2% during the 4th quarter. ExodusPoint Capital Management LP now owns 115,039 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $958,000 after acquiring an additional 68,506 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Militia Capital Partners LP bought a new position in shares of Wendy’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $150,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Wendy’s

Here are the key news stories impacting Wendy’s this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Marketing and product promo: Wendy’s relaunched the Thin Mints Frosty (Frosty Fusion and Swirl) for Girl Scout cookie season and is running promotional deals that could help traffic in the near term. These items also drive PR and community engagement through hosting cookie booths. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Customer buzz and promotional lift: multiple reviews and lifestyle pieces highlight the new Frosty offerings and $1 deals, which can boost short‑term traffic and AUVs if executed broadly. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation/deep‑value narrative: market commentary notes WEN is trading at depressed multiples and could be a turnaround candidate, but warns turnaround execution is uncertain and short interest is elevated—this frames both upside potential and risk. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Consumer perception noise: social posts and columns claim a menu item appears smaller — not a material operational issue but potentially harmful to perception if it gains traction. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Large store closures: Wendy’s announced plans to close roughly 5% of its U.S. footprint (about 250–300 locations) to cut underperforming sites and refocus on value — a near‑term headwind to revenue and a signal management is wrestling with U.S. traffic declines. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst downgrades / price‑target cuts: BMO trimmed its price target from $11 to $9 and moved to Market Perform; other outlets highlight downgrades and bearish analyst commentary citing weak comps. That reduces near‑term sentiment support. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Competitive/strategy headwinds: industry coverage says Wendy’s continues to struggle breaking into breakfast and is losing U.S. market share, reinforcing concerns that core U.S. sales and margins will remain pressured. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Sell‑side and short interest pressure: commentary and a Seeking Alpha downgrade highlight slowing fundamentals and elevated short interest—both amplify downside risk until comps and margins stabilize. Read More.

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.