Wendy’s’ (WEN) Equal Weight Rating Reiterated at Stephens

Stephens reaffirmed their equal weight rating on shares of Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) in a research note released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $19.00 price objective on the restaurant operator’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also weighed in on WEN. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Wendy’s from $23.00 to $19.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Wolfe Research upgraded Wendy’s to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 16th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $20.00 to $18.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $20.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Wendy’s presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $20.36.

Wendy’s Stock Up 1.1 %

WEN opened at $18.11 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.64, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a current ratio of 2.10. The company has a market cap of $3.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.06, a PEG ratio of 2.51 and a beta of 0.79. Wendy’s has a one year low of $15.61 and a one year high of $20.65. The business’s fifty day moving average is $18.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.64.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.25. The company had revenue of $566.70 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $560.50 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 8.76% and a return on equity of 70.02%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.27 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Wendy’s will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 5.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Monday, December 2nd. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 105.26%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wendy’s

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in shares of Wendy’s during the 2nd quarter worth about $27,000. Quarry LP acquired a new stake in Wendy’s in the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Wendy’s during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Bessemer Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Wendy’s by 483.2% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,872 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 1,551 shares during the period. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the 1st quarter worth $44,000. 85.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Wendy’s

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.