Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Receives “Equal Weight” Rating from Stephens

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN)‘s stock had its “equal weight” rating reaffirmed by equities researchers at Stephens in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $14.00 price objective on the restaurant operator’s stock. Stephens’ target price points to a potential upside of 23.57% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on WEN. TD Securities lowered their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Loop Capital lowered their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $26.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 5th. BMO Capital Markets lowered their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a “market perform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Barclays lowered their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Wendy’s currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $16.34.

Wendy’s Stock Performance

Shares of Wendy’s stock opened at $11.33 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $2.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.05, a PEG ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 0.34. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $12.03 and its 200 day moving average is $14.21. Wendy’s has a 1 year low of $10.91 and a 1 year high of $20.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.88, a current ratio of 1.49 and a quick ratio of 1.47.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The restaurant operator reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.20. The business had revenue of $523.47 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $530.11 million. Wendy’s had a net margin of 8.57% and a return on equity of 85.36%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.23 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Wendy’s will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wendy’s

In other Wendy’s news, insider Abigail E. Pringle sold 136,819 shares of Wendy’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.81, for a total transaction of $1,752,651.39. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 203,005 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,600,494.05. The trade was a 40.26% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Lindsay J. Radkoski purchased 5,050 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $11.68 per share, for a total transaction of $58,984.00. Following the acquisition, the chief marketing officer now directly owns 28,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $338,206.08. This represents a 21.12% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders own 17.00% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wendy’s

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Wendy’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $30,000. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new stake in shares of Wendy’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of Wendy’s by 1,111.9% during the first 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 last quarter. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Wendy’s during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in shares of Wendy’s by 7,180.9% during the first quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,422 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $50,000 after buying an additional 3,375 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

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.