Zacks reissued their neutral rating on shares of Wendys (NYSE: WEN) in a report released on Monday. Zacks currently has a $5.75 target price on the stock.
Zacks’ analyst wrote, “The Wendy’s reported fourth-quarter 2012 adjusted earnings of $0.09 per share, ahead of the Zacks Consensus Estimate as well as the year-ago earnings of $0.04 per share. In 2012, the company’s adjusted earnings per share were $0.17, up 13.3% annually. Total revenues in the fourth quarter climbed 2.4% annually to $629.9 million, driven by the company’s new acquisitions and unit openings. Same-store sales at North America Company-operated restaurants declined 0.2% versus a rise of 5.1% in the year-earlier quarter. The Wendy’s North America Franchise same-store sales also declined 0.6%. The company is concentrating more on enhancing its shareholders’ value through dividend distribution and share buyback. Although The Wendy’s repositioning efforts seem to be on track, the turnaround process still needs time before it fully pays off. Moreover, an uncertain economy, faltering consumer confidence and high commodity costs are major headwinds. Thus, we remain Neutral on the stock.”
Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Analysts at Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Wendys from an equal weight rating to an underweight rating in a research note to investors on Friday, March 1st. They now have a $5.00 price target on the stock. Separately, analysts at Standpoint Research downgraded shares of Wendys from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note to investors on Wednesday, February 27th. Finally, analysts at Telsey Advisory Group raised their price target on shares of Wendys from $5.00 to $6.00 in a research note to investors on Friday, February 22nd.
Wendys traded down 0.90% on Monday, hitting $5.48. Wendys has a 52-week low of $4.09 and a 52-week high of $5.95. The stock’s 50-day moving average is currently $5.25. The company has a market cap of $2.153 billion and a price-to-earnings ratio of 307.22.
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which is scheduled for Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st will be paid a dividend of $0.04 per share. This represents a $0.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.92%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 27th.
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