Wall Street Zen Upgrades Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN) to Hold

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report issued on Saturday.

WEN has been the subject of several other reports. TD Securities decreased their price objective on Wendy's from $14.00 to $13.00 and set a "hold" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. Guggenheim lowered Wendy's from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on Wendy's from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an "underweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Stephens reaffirmed an "equal weight" rating and set a $14.00 price target on shares of Wendy's in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Finally, Loop Capital reduced their price target on Wendy's from $26.00 to $21.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 5th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, thirteen have issued a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Wendy's has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $16.24.

Wendy's Price Performance

Shares of WEN stock opened at $11.02 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $11.66 and a 200 day moving average price of $13.55. The company has a quick ratio of 1.47, a current ratio of 1.49 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 24.88. The firm has a market cap of $2.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 11.72, a PEG ratio of 1.74 and a beta of 0.34. Wendy's has a 12 month low of $10.91 and a 12 month high of $20.60.

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, May 2nd. The restaurant operator reported $0.20 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.20. The company had revenue of $523.47 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $530.11 million. Wendy's had a return on equity of 85.36% and a net margin of 8.57%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down 2.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.23 EPS. Research analysts expect that Wendy's will post 0.99 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, insider Abigail E. Pringle sold 136,819 shares of Wendy's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.81, for a total value of $1,752,651.39. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CMO Lindsay J. Radkoski bought 5,050 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, June 3rd. The stock was acquired at an average price of $11.68 per share, with a total value of $58,984.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief marketing officer owned 28,956 shares of the company's stock, valued at $338,206.08. This represents a 21.12% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 17.00% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wendy's

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Colonial Trust Co SC bought a new position in Wendy's in the 4th quarter valued at $31,000. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake 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 during the period. Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. bought a new position in Wendy's in the 4th quarter valued at $46,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in Wendy's by 7,180.9% in the 1st quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 3,422 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $50,000 after purchasing an additional 3,375 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in Wendy's by 91.0% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 4,266 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $62,000 after purchasing an additional 2,033 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 85.96% of the company's stock.

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.

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