Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Sets New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN)’s stock price hit a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The stock traded as low as $8.37 and last traded at $8.3750, with a volume of 4084106 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $8.62.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Zacks Research raised shares of Wendy’s from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. Northcoast Research downgraded shares of Wendy’s from a “neutral” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $7.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Thursday, September 25th. Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Friday, August 8th. BMO Capital Markets reissued a “market perform” rating and set a $12.00 price target (down previously from $15.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Friday, August 8th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on Wendy’s from $10.00 to $9.00 and set a “sector perform” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, November 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Wendy’s currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.86.

Wendy’s Stock Down 0.9%

The company has a market capitalization of $1.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.63 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.74, a current ratio of 1.45 and a quick ratio of 1.43. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $9.04 and its 200-day moving average price is $10.35.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, November 7th. The restaurant operator reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $442.50 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $535.75 million. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 103.07% and a net margin of 8.63%.Wendy’s’s quarterly revenue was down 3.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.25 EPS. Wendy’s has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.820-0.890 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The Wendy’s Company will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 15th. Investors of record on Monday, December 1st will be issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 6.9%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 1st. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 59.57%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wendy’s

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WEN. Signaturefd LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 27.4% in the 1st quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 4,262 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $62,000 after acquiring an additional 917 shares in the last quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of Wendy’s by 7.9% during the 1st quarter. Trivium Point Advisory LLC now owns 13,618 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $199,000 after buying an additional 1,002 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 5.6% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 19,697 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $225,000 after acquiring an additional 1,036 shares during the last quarter. Covestor Ltd lifted its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 25.8% during the 1st quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 5,069 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $74,000 after acquiring an additional 1,038 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in Wendy’s by 35.0% in the second quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 4,017 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $46,000 after acquiring an additional 1,041 shares in the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Wendy’s

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.