Barclays Cuts Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN) Price Target to $14.00

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Free Report) had its price target lowered by Barclays from $17.00 to $14.00 in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an equal weight rating on the restaurant operator's stock.

Several other research analysts have also recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $17.00 price target (down previously from $20.00) on shares of Wendy's in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "underweight" rating and set a $14.00 target price (down previously from $22.00) on shares of Wendy's in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Argus upgraded Wendy's to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Citigroup upped their price objective on Wendy's from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, UBS Group raised their target price on Wendy's from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $17.69.

Wendy's Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of Wendy's stock traded down $0.05 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $12.78. 2,633,961 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,250,443. The firm has a market cap of $2.51 billion, a PE ratio of 13.45, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48, a quick ratio of 1.83 and a current ratio of 1.85. Wendy's has a 1 year low of $12.05 and a 1 year high of $20.65. The stock's fifty day moving average is $14.33 and its 200 day moving average is $16.09.

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.24 by $0.01. Wendy's had a return on equity of 75.56% and a net margin of 8.65%. The company had revenue of $574.27 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $564.17 million. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Wendy's will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Wendy's Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 7.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Wendy's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 105.26%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wendy's

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WEN. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Wendy's by 670.3% in 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. purchased a new position in Wendy's during the fourth quarter worth about $30,000. Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new stake in Wendy's in the fourth quarter valued at about $31,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC boosted its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 1,957 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other 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.