Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) PT Raised to $21.00 at UBS Group

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) had its target price upped by UBS Group from $20.00 to $21.00 in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. UBS Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 5.32% from the company’s current price.

A number of other research analysts have also recently weighed in on WEN. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut shares of Wendy’s from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $22.00 to $19.00 in a research note on Wednesday, February 21st. Royal Bank of Canada reduced their price objective on Wendy’s from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Truist Financial dropped their price target on Wendy’s from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Piper Sandler increased their price target on Wendy’s from $21.00 to $23.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. Finally, TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $19.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Friday. Fourteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $22.60.

Wendy’s Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ WEN opened at $19.94 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 11.21, a current ratio of 2.04 and a quick ratio of 2.18. Wendy’s has a 1 year low of $17.64 and a 1 year high of $23.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.78. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $18.80 and a 200-day moving average price of $19.05.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 2nd. The restaurant operator reported $0.23 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.21 by $0.02. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 62.68% and a net margin of 9.44%. The business had revenue of $534.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $540.84 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.21 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 1.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Wendy’s will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wendy’s

In related news, Director Kenneth W. Gilbert sold 4,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $18.07, for a total transaction of $81,315.00. Following the transaction, the director now owns 31,304 shares in the company, valued at $565,663.28. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 17.10% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Wendy’s

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of WEN. Trian Fund Management L.P. increased its position in Wendy’s by 60.9% during the 3rd quarter. Trian Fund Management L.P. now owns 33,350,743 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $680,689,000 after buying an additional 12,618,115 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 6.1% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,248,412 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $413,270,000 after acquiring an additional 1,162,540 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in shares of Wendy’s by 2.1% in the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,344,118 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $100,683,000 after purchasing an additional 111,626 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in Wendy’s by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,706,052 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $91,674,000 after purchasing an additional 31,341 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in Wendy’s by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,141,024 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $80,668,000 after purchasing an additional 63,927 shares in the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.