Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Hits New 52-Week Low – Should You Sell?

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN)’s stock price reached a new 52-week low on Monday . The company traded as low as $6.73 and last traded at $6.7760, with a volume of 237282 shares. The stock had previously closed at $6.80.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently issued reports on WEN. Morgan Stanley restated an “underweight” rating and set a $7.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Monday, February 16th. Stephens reduced their price objective on Wendy’s from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Mizuho lowered their target price on Wendy’s from $8.00 to $7.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Wendy’s from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on Wendy’s from $8.50 to $7.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, fifteen have assigned a Hold rating and five have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $9.00.

Wendy’s Trading Down 0.1%

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 has a market cap of $1.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.01, a PEG ratio of 1.91 and a beta of 0.38. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $7.59 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $8.31.

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

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were paid a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.2%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 2nd. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is currently 65.88%.

Institutional Trading of Wendy’s

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WEN. Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Wendy’s in the second quarter worth about $2,428,000. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Wendy’s in the second quarter worth about $18,929,000. Alps Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Wendy’s by 71.7% in the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 634,304 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $5,810,000 after buying an additional 264,905 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board bought a new stake in Wendy’s in the third quarter valued at about $5,651,000. Finally, Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC raised its stake in Wendy’s by 382.8% during the third quarter. Quinn Opportunity Partners LLC now owns 1,216,811 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $11,146,000 after buying an additional 964,771 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s Company Profile

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.