Barclays Lowers Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN) Price Target to $14.00

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Free Report) had its target price cut by Barclays from $17.00 to $14.00 in a research report released on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the restaurant operator's stock.

A number of other analysts have also weighed in on WEN. Royal Bank of Canada reiterated a "sector perform" rating and issued a $17.00 price objective on shares of Wendy's in a research note on Tuesday, March 4th. The Goldman Sachs Group cut their price target on Wendy's from $17.00 to $15.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. TD Securities reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $16.00 price objective on shares of Wendy's in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Citigroup upped their target price on Wendy's from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reiterated an "underweight" rating and set a $14.00 price target (down from $22.00) on shares of Wendy's in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Wendy's currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $17.69.

Wendy's Stock Performance

WEN traded down $0.11 on Tuesday, reaching $12.73. 475,514 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,241,954. The company's 50-day moving average price is $14.38 and its 200 day moving average price is $16.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.83. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.50 billion, a PE ratio of 13.38, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.61. Wendy's has a fifty-two week low of $12.05 and a fifty-two week high of $20.65.

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.01. Wendy's had a return on equity of 75.56% and a net margin of 8.65%. The firm had revenue of $574.27 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $564.17 million. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Wendy's will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy's Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Stockholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.86%. Wendy's's dividend payout ratio is currently 105.26%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WEN. Franklin Resources Inc. acquired a new position in Wendy's during the third quarter worth $763,000. Retirement Systems of Alabama lifted its position in shares of Wendy's by 16.9% during the 3rd quarter. Retirement Systems of Alabama now owns 711,267 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $12,461,000 after purchasing an additional 102,769 shares during the last quarter. Copley Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Wendy's during the 3rd quarter worth about $451,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 168.1% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Wendy's by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 152,549 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $2,673,000 after buying an additional 2,087 shares during the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wendy's Company Profile

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.