BMO Capital Markets Lowers Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN) Price Target to $15.00

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) had its target price lowered by stock analysts at BMO Capital Markets from $17.00 to $15.00 in a report issued on Tuesday, Marketbeat reports. The firm currently has a "market perform" rating on the restaurant operator's stock. BMO Capital Markets' target price suggests a potential upside of 22.65% from the company's previous close.

Several other analysts have also weighed in on WEN. Citigroup boosted their price objective on Wendy's from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Wendy's from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and dropped their price target for the company from $17.00 to $15.00 in a research report on Monday. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Wendy's from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Monday. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and set a $17.00 target price on shares of Wendy's in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. Finally, Stephens restated an "equal weight" rating and issued a $14.00 price target on shares of Wendy's in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, eleven have assigned a hold rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $16.34.

Wendy's Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of WEN traded up $0.11 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $12.23. The company's stock had a trading volume of 653,113 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,269,743. The company has a market cap of $2.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.40. The company has a quick ratio of 1.83, a current ratio of 1.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48. The company has a fifty day moving average of $13.77 and a two-hundred day moving average of $15.69. Wendy's has a twelve month low of $11.70 and a twelve month high of $20.60.

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 2nd. The restaurant operator reported $0.20 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.20. The firm had revenue of $523.47 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $530.11 million. Wendy's had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 75.56%. The firm's revenue was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.23 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Wendy's will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Wendy's news, insider Abigail E. Pringle sold 136,819 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.81, for a total value of $1,752,651.39. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 203,005 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,600,494.05. This represents a 40.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 17.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Wendy's

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC lifted its stake in Wendy's by 3,249.7% during the fourth quarter. Cubist Systematic Strategies LLC now owns 1,568,348 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $25,564,000 after buying an additional 1,521,527 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its position in Wendy's by 296.1% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,882,829 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $30,690,000 after purchasing an additional 1,407,503 shares in the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP acquired a new stake in Wendy's during the 4th quarter valued at $16,678,000. Assenagon Asset Management S.A. purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy's in the fourth quarter valued at $13,358,000. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Wendy's by 93.0% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 1,591,281 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $25,938,000 after buying an additional 766,910 shares during the period. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.