The Wendy's Company $WEN Shares Sold by Dimensional Fund Advisors LP

Key Points

• Dimensional Fund Advisors cut its Wendy’s stake by 11.9% in the first quarter, selling 469,808 shares and retaining 3.48 million shares worth about $24.2 million. Institutional investors and hedge funds collectively own 85.96% of WEN.
• Analyst sentiment remains cautious: Wendy’s has a consensus “Reduce” rating and an average price target of $8.04, with 3 Buy, 13 Hold and 6 Sell ratings.
• Wendy’s shares opened at $7.99, while the company reported quarterly EPS of $0.12—above estimates—but revenue of $432.3 million fell short of expectations. Its quarterly dividend is $0.14 per share, representing a 7.0% annualized yield.

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP trimmed its position in The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Free Report) by 11.9% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 3,476,736 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 469,808 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned 1.83% of Wendy's worth $24,162,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new stake in shares of Wendy's in the first quarter worth $161,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 1.8% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 639,085 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $9,350,000 after acquiring an additional 11,072 shares in the last quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 35.0% during the 2nd quarter. Prudential Financial Inc. now owns 15,687 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $179,000 after acquiring an additional 4,067 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC raised its position in Wendy's by 136.9% in the second quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 27,776 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $318,000 after purchasing an additional 16,053 shares during the period. Finally, M&T Bank Corp lifted its stake in shares of Wendy's by 8.4% during the second quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 16,987 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $194,000 after purchasing an additional 1,310 shares in the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WEN has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup reduced their price target on Wendy's from $7.75 to $7.25 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, July 28th. KeyCorp restated a "sector weight" rating on shares of Wendy's in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating and set a $6.00 price target on shares of Wendy's in a report on Tuesday, May 12th. Mizuho set a $6.00 price target on shares of Wendy's in a research note on Friday, May 1st. Finally, Argus raised shares of Wendy's from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $12.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, May 13th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, thirteen have given a Hold rating and six have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Wendy's presently has a consensus rating of "Reduce" and a consensus target price of $8.04.

Wendy's Stock Up 3.9%

Shares of NASDAQ:WEN opened at $7.99 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $1.52 billion, a PE ratio of 10.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.56 and a beta of 0.37. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $7.41 and a 200 day simple moving average of $7.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.83, a quick ratio of 1.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 29.25. The Wendy's Company has a 12-month low of $6.07 and a 12-month high of $10.84.

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, May 8th. The restaurant operator reported $0.12 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.10 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $432.30 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $518.03 million. Wendy's had a net margin of 6.77% and a return on equity of 136.46%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.20 EPS. Wendy's has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.600 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Wendy's Company will post 0.57 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy's Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, June 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, June 1st were issued a dividend of $0.14 per share. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 7.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, June 1st. Wendy's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 71.79%.

About Wendy's

The Wendy's Company NASDAQ: WEN operates as a global quick-service restaurant chain, best known for its square-shaped beef patties, fresh ingredient sourcing and signature Frosty dessert. The company's menu features a variety of hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, breakfast sandwiches, sides and beverages, designed to appeal to a broad customer base seeking both classic and contemporary fast-food options. Wendy's has placed particular emphasis on product innovation, introducing limited-time offerings and revamped core menu items to maintain customer interest and respond to evolving dining trends.

Founded in 1969 by entrepreneur Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio, Wendy's expanded rapidly through both company-owned and franchised outlets.

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