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Wendy's (WEN) Competitors

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$7.36 -0.45 (-5.76%)
Closing price 05/26/2026 04:00 PM Eastern
Extended Trading
$7.39 +0.03 (+0.43%)
As of 04:18 AM Eastern
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WEN vs. PZZA, ARCO, QSR, EAT, and CAKE

Should you buy Wendy's stock or one of its competitors? MarketBeat compares Wendy's with other companies and stocks that may be similar based on industry, sector, market capitalization, business model, investor interest, or shared news coverage. Companies and stocks commonly compared with Wendy's include Papa John's International (PZZA), Arcos Dorados (ARCO), Restaurant Brands International (QSR), Brinker International (EAT), and Cheesecake Factory (CAKE). These companies are all part of the "retail - restrnts" industry.

How does Wendy's compare to Papa John's International?

Papa John's International (NASDAQ:PZZA) and Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN) are both small-cap retail/wholesale companies, but which is the superior business? We will contrast the two businesses based on the strength of their valuation, profitability, dividends, media sentiment, risk, institutional ownership, earnings and analyst recommendations.

Papa John's International has a beta of 1.18, indicating that its share price is 18% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Wendy's has a beta of 0.35, indicating that its share price is 65% less volatile than the broader market.

Wendy's has a net margin of 6.77% compared to Papa John's International's net margin of 1.37%. Wendy's' return on equity of 136.46% beat Papa John's International's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Papa John's International1.37% -10.71% 5.33%
Wendy's 6.77%136.46%3.14%

86.0% of Wendy's shares are held by institutional investors. 1.8% of Papa John's International shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 17.1% of Wendy's shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Papa John's International currently has a consensus target price of $38.50, suggesting a potential upside of 17.74%. Wendy's has a consensus target price of $8.56, suggesting a potential upside of 16.26%. Given Papa John's International's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Papa John's International is more favorable than Wendy's.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Papa John's International
1 Sell rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.10
Wendy's
6 Sell rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.96

In the previous week, Wendy's had 15 more articles in the media than Papa John's International. MarketBeat recorded 30 mentions for Wendy's and 15 mentions for Papa John's International. Wendy's' average media sentiment score of -0.09 beat Papa John's International's score of -0.20 indicating that Wendy's is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Papa John's International
2 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
0 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Wendy's
5 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
11 Neutral mention(s)
4 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

Wendy's has higher revenue and earnings than Papa John's International. Wendy's is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Papa John's International, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Papa John's International$2.05B0.52$30.53M$0.8339.40
Wendy's$2.19B0.64$165.07M$0.789.44

Papa John's International pays an annual dividend of $1.84 per share and has a dividend yield of 5.6%. Wendy's pays an annual dividend of $0.56 per share and has a dividend yield of 7.6%. Papa John's International pays out 221.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Wendy's pays out 71.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Papa John's International has raised its dividend for 4 consecutive years. Wendy's is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Summary

Wendy's beats Papa John's International on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Wendy's compare to Arcos Dorados?

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN) and Arcos Dorados (NYSE:ARCO) are both small-cap retail/wholesale companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their media sentiment, risk, profitability, dividends, analyst recommendations, earnings, institutional ownership and valuation.

Wendy's currently has a consensus price target of $8.56, suggesting a potential upside of 16.26%. Arcos Dorados has a consensus price target of $8.70, suggesting a potential downside of 0.34%. Given Wendy's' higher probable upside, research analysts plainly believe Wendy's is more favorable than Arcos Dorados.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Wendy's
6 Sell rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.96
Arcos Dorados
0 Sell rating(s)
3 Hold rating(s)
2 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.40

86.0% of Wendy's shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 55.9% of Arcos Dorados shares are held by institutional investors. 17.1% of Wendy's shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Wendy's has a net margin of 6.77% compared to Arcos Dorados' net margin of 4.86%. Wendy's' return on equity of 136.46% beat Arcos Dorados' return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Wendy's6.77% 136.46% 3.14%
Arcos Dorados 4.86%10.47%2.06%

In the previous week, Wendy's had 15 more articles in the media than Arcos Dorados. MarketBeat recorded 30 mentions for Wendy's and 15 mentions for Arcos Dorados. Arcos Dorados' average media sentiment score of 0.85 beat Wendy's' score of -0.09 indicating that Arcos Dorados is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Wendy's
5 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
11 Neutral mention(s)
4 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Arcos Dorados
6 Very Positive mention(s)
3 Positive mention(s)
5 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive

Wendy's has a beta of 0.35, suggesting that its share price is 65% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Arcos Dorados has a beta of 0.47, suggesting that its share price is 53% less volatile than the broader market.

Wendy's pays an annual dividend of $0.56 per share and has a dividend yield of 7.6%. Arcos Dorados pays an annual dividend of $0.18 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.1%. Wendy's pays out 71.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Arcos Dorados pays out 16.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. Arcos Dorados has raised its dividend for 1 consecutive years.

Arcos Dorados has higher revenue and earnings than Wendy's. Arcos Dorados is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Wendy's, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Wendy's$2.19B0.64$165.07M$0.789.44
Arcos Dorados$4.68B0.39$212.12M$1.117.86

Summary

Wendy's beats Arcos Dorados on 11 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Wendy's compare to Restaurant Brands International?

Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) and Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN) are both retail/wholesale companies, but which is the superior business? We will compare the two businesses based on the strength of their institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations, earnings, valuation, profitability, media sentiment and dividends.

Restaurant Brands International has higher revenue and earnings than Wendy's. Wendy's is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Restaurant Brands International, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Restaurant Brands International$9.43B2.78$776M$2.8426.56
Wendy's$2.19B0.64$165.07M$0.789.44

Restaurant Brands International presently has a consensus price target of $83.54, indicating a potential upside of 10.75%. Wendy's has a consensus price target of $8.56, indicating a potential upside of 16.26%. Given Wendy's' higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Wendy's is more favorable than Restaurant Brands International.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Restaurant Brands International
1 Sell rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
16 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.58
Wendy's
6 Sell rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.96

Restaurant Brands International pays an annual dividend of $2.60 per share and has a dividend yield of 3.4%. Wendy's pays an annual dividend of $0.56 per share and has a dividend yield of 7.6%. Restaurant Brands International pays out 91.5% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Wendy's pays out 71.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Restaurant Brands International has increased its dividend for 10 consecutive years. Wendy's is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

82.3% of Restaurant Brands International shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 86.0% of Wendy's shares are held by institutional investors. 1.3% of Restaurant Brands International shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 17.1% of Wendy's shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that large money managers, endowments and hedge funds believe a company is poised for long-term growth.

In the previous week, Wendy's had 14 more articles in the media than Restaurant Brands International. MarketBeat recorded 30 mentions for Wendy's and 16 mentions for Restaurant Brands International. Restaurant Brands International's average media sentiment score of 0.67 beat Wendy's' score of -0.09 indicating that Restaurant Brands International is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Restaurant Brands International
4 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
2 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Positive
Wendy's
5 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
11 Neutral mention(s)
4 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

Restaurant Brands International has a net margin of 9.96% compared to Wendy's' net margin of 6.77%. Wendy's' return on equity of 136.46% beat Restaurant Brands International's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Restaurant Brands International9.96% 32.80% 6.67%
Wendy's 6.77%136.46%3.14%

Restaurant Brands International has a beta of 0.53, indicating that its share price is 47% less volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Wendy's has a beta of 0.35, indicating that its share price is 65% less volatile than the broader market.

Summary

Restaurant Brands International beats Wendy's on 12 of the 19 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Wendy's compare to Brinker International?

Brinker International (NYSE:EAT) and Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN) are both retail/wholesale companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, profitability, media sentiment, institutional ownership, risk, analyst recommendations, earnings and valuation.

Brinker International has a net margin of 8.07% compared to Wendy's' net margin of 6.77%. Wendy's' return on equity of 136.46% beat Brinker International's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Brinker International8.07% 123.22% 16.94%
Wendy's 6.77%136.46%3.14%

Brinker International presently has a consensus price target of $185.11, indicating a potential upside of 32.92%. Wendy's has a consensus price target of $8.56, indicating a potential upside of 16.26%. Given Brinker International's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, equities research analysts plainly believe Brinker International is more favorable than Wendy's.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Brinker International
0 Sell rating(s)
7 Hold rating(s)
14 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.67
Wendy's
6 Sell rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.96

In the previous week, Wendy's had 30 more articles in the media than Brinker International. MarketBeat recorded 30 mentions for Wendy's and 0 mentions for Brinker International. Brinker International's average media sentiment score of 0.85 beat Wendy's' score of -0.09 indicating that Brinker International is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Overall Sentiment
Brinker International Positive
Wendy's Neutral

Brinker International pays an annual dividend of $1.52 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.1%. Wendy's pays an annual dividend of $0.56 per share and has a dividend yield of 7.6%. Brinker International pays out 14.9% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Wendy's pays out 71.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

86.0% of Wendy's shares are owned by institutional investors. 1.4% of Brinker International shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 17.1% of Wendy's shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, large money managers and endowments believe a stock will outperform the market over the long term.

Brinker International has higher revenue and earnings than Wendy's. Wendy's is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Brinker International, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Brinker International$5.73B1.04$383.10M$10.2013.65
Wendy's$2.19B0.64$165.07M$0.789.44

Brinker International has a beta of 1.32, meaning that its share price is 32% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Wendy's has a beta of 0.35, meaning that its share price is 65% less volatile than the broader market.

Summary

Brinker International beats Wendy's on 13 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

How does Wendy's compare to Cheesecake Factory?

Cheesecake Factory (NASDAQ:CAKE) and Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN) are both retail/wholesale companies, but which is the better investment? We will contrast the two companies based on the strength of their earnings, dividends, media sentiment, risk, valuation, profitability, analyst recommendations and institutional ownership.

Wendy's has a net margin of 6.77% compared to Cheesecake Factory's net margin of 4.34%. Wendy's' return on equity of 136.46% beat Cheesecake Factory's return on equity.

Company Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets
Cheesecake Factory4.34% 43.74% 5.81%
Wendy's 6.77%136.46%3.14%

Cheesecake Factory pays an annual dividend of $1.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.9%. Wendy's pays an annual dividend of $0.56 per share and has a dividend yield of 7.6%. Cheesecake Factory pays out 35.1% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Wendy's pays out 71.8% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years.

Wendy's has lower revenue, but higher earnings than Cheesecake Factory. Wendy's is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Cheesecake Factory, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

CompanyGross RevenuePrice/Sales RatioNet IncomeEarnings Per SharePrice/Earnings Ratio
Cheesecake Factory$3.75B0.86$148.43M$3.4218.90
Wendy's$2.19B0.64$165.07M$0.789.44

Cheesecake Factory has a beta of 1.04, suggesting that its stock price is 4% more volatile than the broader market. Comparatively, Wendy's has a beta of 0.35, suggesting that its stock price is 65% less volatile than the broader market.

In the previous week, Wendy's had 24 more articles in the media than Cheesecake Factory. MarketBeat recorded 30 mentions for Wendy's and 6 mentions for Cheesecake Factory. Cheesecake Factory's average media sentiment score of 0.34 beat Wendy's' score of -0.09 indicating that Cheesecake Factory is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company Very Positive Positive Neutral Negative Very Negative Overall Sentiment
Cheesecake Factory
2 Very Positive mention(s)
0 Positive mention(s)
4 Neutral mention(s)
0 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral
Wendy's
5 Very Positive mention(s)
2 Positive mention(s)
11 Neutral mention(s)
4 Negative mention(s)
0 Very Negative mention(s)
Neutral

94.5% of Cheesecake Factory shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 86.0% of Wendy's shares are owned by institutional investors. 8.0% of Cheesecake Factory shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 17.1% of Wendy's shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, hedge funds and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Cheesecake Factory presently has a consensus price target of $64.94, suggesting a potential upside of 0.48%. Wendy's has a consensus price target of $8.56, suggesting a potential upside of 16.26%. Given Wendy's' higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Wendy's is more favorable than Cheesecake Factory.

Company Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score
Cheesecake Factory
3 Sell rating(s)
9 Hold rating(s)
6 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
2.17
Wendy's
6 Sell rating(s)
12 Hold rating(s)
5 Buy rating(s)
0 Strong Buy rating(s)
1.96

Summary

Cheesecake Factory beats Wendy's on 11 of the 18 factors compared between the two stocks.

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New MarketBeat Followers Over Time

This chart shows the number of new MarketBeat users adding WEN and its top 5 competitors to their watchlist. Each company is represented with a line over a 90 day period.
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Media Sentiment Over Time

This chart shows the average media sentiment of NASDAQ and its competitors over the past 90 days as caculated by MarketBeat. The averaged score is equivalent to the following: Very Negative Sentiment <= -1.5, Negative Sentiment > -1.5 and <= -0.5, Neutral Sentiment > -0.5 and < 0.5, Positive Sentiment >= 0.5 and < 1.5, and Very Positive Sentiment >= 1.5.
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WEN vs. The Competition

MetricWendy'sRETAIL IndustryRetail SectorNASDAQ Exchange
Market Cap$1.49B$11.09B$27.26B$12.34B
Dividend Yield7.17%2.71%178.40%5.28%
P/E Ratio9.4426.5120.0125.81
Price / Sales0.641.623.9671.83
Price / Cash4.3414.7014.9556.67
Price / Book12.074.615.277.17
Net Income$165.07M$392.93M$962.00M$336.99M
7 Day Performance-5.03%-0.11%1.49%2.87%
1 Month Performance6.67%-2.02%0.26%3.16%
1 Year Performance-34.34%-11.53%0.11%35.93%

Wendy's Competitors List

CompanyMarketRankShare PriceAnalysts' Price Target1Y Price PerformanceMarket CapRevenueP/E RatioEmployee CountIndicator(s)
WEN
Wendy's
4.2378 of 5 stars
$7.36
-5.8%
$8.56
+16.3%
-35.7%$1.49B$2.19B9.4414,900
PZZA
Papa John's International
3.4138 of 5 stars
$32.99
-5.0%
$38.50
+16.7%
-22.6%$1.09B$2.05B39.759,400
ARCO
Arcos Dorados
3.6677 of 5 stars
$8.27
+1.8%
$8.70
+5.1%
+18.6%$1.74B$4.68B8.1996,782
QSR
Restaurant Brands International
4.0259 of 5 stars
$75.71
-0.2%
$83.33
+10.1%
+7.6%$26.30B$9.43B26.6653,500
EAT
Brinker International
4.7455 of 5 stars
$132.04
-3.8%
$185.11
+40.2%
-9.9%$5.66B$5.38B12.9583,840

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This page (NASDAQ:WEN) was last updated on 5/27/2026 by MarketBeat.com Staff.
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