The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN) Given Average Recommendation of "Hold" by Analysts

Key Points

• Analysts give The Wendy's Company a consensus "Hold" rating from 25 firms (5 sell, 15 hold, 4 buy, 1 strong buy) with an average 1‑year price target of $9.00; several brokers including UBS and Goldman Sachs recently cut price targets to the $7–8 range.
• Wendy's reported Q results of $0.16 EPS (beat $0.14) but revenue missed at $439.6M versus $537.1M expected and was down 5.5% year‑over‑year; FY2026 guidance is $0.560–0.600 EPS (analysts forecast $0.58).
• The company yields a high dividend (annualized $0.56, 7.9% yield) with a payout ratio around 65.9%, and trades at a market cap of ~$1.36B with a PE of 8.39 and a 52‑week range of $6.63–$13.06.

Shares of The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus recommendation of "Hold" from the twenty-five research firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat reports. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fifteen have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $9.00.

A number of brokerages have recently commented on WEN. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Wendy's from $8.50 to $7.50 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $8.00 price target on shares of Wendy's in a report on Monday, February 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Wendy's from $8.00 to $7.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 17th. Argus raised shares of Wendy's to a "hold" rating in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $8.00 price target on shares of Wendy's in a report on Tuesday, February 17th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wendy's

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WEN. Versant Capital Management Inc grew its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 19,693.8% during the 3rd quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,167 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 3,151 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 205.0% during the 3rd quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 3,257 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 2,189 shares during the last quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Wendy's during the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. Fifth Third Bancorp grew its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 161.0% during the 4th quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,829 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 2,362 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gen Wealth Partners Inc bought a new position in shares of Wendy's during the 4th quarter valued at $33,000. Institutional investors own 85.96% of the company's stock.

Wendy's Stock Performance

NASDAQ WEN opened at $7.13 on Tuesday. Wendy's has a 1 year low of $6.63 and a 1 year high of $13.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.77, a current ratio of 1.76 and a quick ratio of 1.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.36 billion, a PE ratio of 8.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.40. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $7.23 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $8.03.

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $439.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $537.11 million. Wendy's had a net margin of 7.58% and a return on equity of 145.93%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.25 EPS. Wendy's has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.600 EPS. Analysts predict that Wendy's will post 0.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wendy's Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 2nd were issued a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.9%. Wendy's's dividend payout ratio is presently 65.88%.

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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