Brokerages Set The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Price Target at $18.08

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) has been given an average rating of “Hold” by the twenty brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $17.97.

WEN has been the topic of several recent research reports. UBS Group increased their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Citigroup increased their target price on Wendy’s from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Argus raised Wendy’s to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price objective on Wendy’s from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Wedbush reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $16.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Friday, March 7th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wendy’s

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its position in Wendy’s by 670.3% during the 4th quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,402 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 1,220 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Wendy’s during the fourth quarter worth $30,000. Colonial Trust Co SC purchased a new position in Wendy’s in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its stake in Wendy’s by 1,111.9% in the 1st quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,133 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 1,957 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Wendy’s by 168.1% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares during the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wendy’s Trading Down 0.4 %

Shares of WEN opened at $13.17 on Friday. Wendy’s has a 1-year low of $12.05 and a 1-year high of $20.65. The company has a market capitalization of $2.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 13.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.83. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $14.62 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.37.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $574.27 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $564.17 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 75.56%. Sell-side analysts forecast that Wendy’s will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Investors of record on Monday, March 3rd were given a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.59%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 105.26%.

Wendy’s Company Profile

The Wendy’s Co engages in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants. It operates through the following segments: Wendy’s U.S., Wendy’s International, and Global Real Estate and Development. The Wendy’s U.S. segment includes the operation and franchising of Wendy’s restaurants in the U.S.