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

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN)‘s stock had its “equal weight” rating reaffirmed by equities research analysts at Stephens in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $19.00 price objective on the restaurant operator’s stock. Stephens’ target price would indicate a potential upside of 5.26% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other brokerages have also recently issued reports on WEN. Citigroup lifted their target price on Wendy’s from $18.00 to $18.75 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, October 8th. Truist Financial boosted their target price on Wendy’s from $21.00 to $22.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price objective on Wendy’s from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. Piper Sandler reduced their target price on Wendy’s from $23.00 to $19.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. Finally, Barclays reduced their target price on Wendy’s from $20.00 to $18.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, August 2nd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $20.36.

Wendy’s Price Performance

Shares of WEN opened at $18.05 on Tuesday. Wendy’s has a 1 year low of $15.61 and a 1 year high of $20.65. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.64, a current ratio of 2.10 and a quick ratio of 2.08. The company has a market capitalization of $3.68 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.00, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.79. The business has a 50-day moving average of $18.51 and a 200-day moving average of $17.65.

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new position in Wendy’s in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Wendy’s in the second quarter worth $30,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy’s during the 2nd quarter worth $33,000. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in Wendy’s by 483.2% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,872 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,551 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Wendy’s in the first quarter valued at $44,000. 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.