Q2 2024 EPS Estimates for The Wendy’s Company Decreased by Analyst (NASDAQ:WEN)

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) – Equities research analysts at Wedbush lowered their Q2 2024 earnings per share estimates for Wendy’s in a report released on Friday, April 26th. Wedbush analyst N. Setyan now anticipates that the restaurant operator will earn $0.27 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $0.28. Wedbush has a “Neutral” rating and a $20.00 price target on the stock. The consensus estimate for Wendy’s’ current full-year earnings is $0.99 per share. Wedbush also issued estimates for Wendy’s’ Q1 2025 earnings at $0.25 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.33 EPS and Q4 2025 earnings at $0.28 EPS.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 15th. The restaurant operator reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.23 by ($0.02). Wendy’s had a return on equity of 56.24% and a net margin of 9.37%. The firm had revenue of $540.65 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $546.47 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.22 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .8% on a year-over-year basis.

WEN has been the topic of several other research reports. BMO Capital Markets lowered their price target on Wendy’s from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 16th. Royal Bank of Canada lowered their price target on Wendy’s from $22.00 to $20.00 and set a “sector perform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Barclays cut Wendy’s from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $23.00 to $21.00 in a research report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Stephens initiated coverage on Wendy’s in a research report on Friday, April 12th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $20.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Wendy’s from $23.00 to $22.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $22.53.

Wendy’s Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of WEN stock opened at $20.14 on Monday. Wendy’s has a 12 month low of $17.64 and a 12 month high of $23.90. The company has a quick ratio of 2.18, a current ratio of 2.19 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 10.66. The business’s 50 day moving average is $18.62 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.00. The company has a market cap of $4.14 billion, a PE ratio of 20.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.03 and a beta of 0.82.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Trian Fund Management L.P. increased its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 60.9% in the third quarter. Trian Fund Management L.P. now owns 33,350,743 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $680,689,000 after buying an additional 12,618,115 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 6.1% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 20,248,412 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $413,270,000 after buying an additional 1,162,540 shares in the last quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC increased its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 2.1% in the first quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 5,344,118 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $100,683,000 after buying an additional 111,626 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,706,052 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $91,674,000 after buying an additional 31,341 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 4,141,024 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $80,668,000 after buying an additional 63,927 shares in the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Wendy’s news, Director Kenneth W. Gilbert sold 4,500 shares of Wendy’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $18.07, for a total transaction of $81,315.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 31,304 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $565,663.28. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 17.10% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wendy’s Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 15th. Investors of record on Friday, March 1st were given a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, February 29th. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.97%. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 102.04%.

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.