Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN) Sets New 52-Week Low - What's Next?

Key Points

• Shares hit a new 52-week low at $6.67, and analysts have trimmed targets — the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $9.00 amid several recent downgrades and price cuts.
• Latest quarter showed a slight EPS beat ($0.16 vs. $0.14) but a significant revenue miss ($439.6M vs. $537.1M), revenue was down 5.5% year‑over‑year, and management set FY2026 guidance of $0.560–0.600 EPS.
• Wendy’s pays a quarterly $0.14 dividend (annualized yield 8.4%) with a payout ratio around 65.9%, and roughly 86% of the shares are held by institutional investors.

The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week low during trading on Monday . The company traded as low as $6.67 and last traded at $6.6650, with a volume of 787583 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $6.89.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have commented on WEN. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Wendy's from $11.00 to $10.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, February 17th. Mizuho reduced their price objective on Wendy's from $8.00 to $7.00 and set an "underperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Argus upgraded Wendy's to a "hold" rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. TD Cowen reduced their price objective on Wendy's from $9.00 to $6.00 and set a "hold" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Wendy's in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating, fifteen have given a Hold rating and five have issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $9.00.

Wendy's Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.77. The company has a 50 day moving average of $7.35 and a 200 day moving average of $8.13. The firm has a market cap of $1.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.88, a PEG ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.40.

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.02. Wendy's had a return on equity of 145.93% and a net margin of 7.58%.The business had revenue of $439.60 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $537.11 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.25 earnings per share. The company's revenue was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Wendy's has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.600 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Wendy's Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy's Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 16th. Investors of record on Monday, March 2nd were issued a $0.14 dividend. This represents a $0.56 annualized dividend and a yield of 8.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 2nd. Wendy's's payout ratio is currently 65.88%.

Institutional Trading of Wendy's

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WEN. Investors Research Corp bought a new stake in Wendy's in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Wendy's by 19,693.8% in the third quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 3,167 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 3,151 shares during the last quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its holdings in Wendy's by 205.0% in the third quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 3,257 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 2,189 shares during the last quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Wendy's in the fourth quarter valued at about $30,000. Finally, Fifth Third Bancorp increased its holdings in Wendy's by 161.0% in the fourth quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 3,829 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 2,362 shares during the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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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