Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN) Sets New 12-Month Low After Analyst Downgrade

The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report)'s share price hit a new 52-week low during mid-day trading on Monday after Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on the stock from $18.00 to $17.00. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a hold rating on the stock. Wendy's traded as low as $14.89 and last traded at $14.89, with a volume of 1772 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $14.94.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. Citigroup upped their price target on Wendy's from $18.00 to $18.75 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 8th. BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Wendy's from $19.00 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Stephens reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $19.00 price objective on shares of Wendy's in a research report on Tuesday, November 19th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on Wendy's from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 16th. Finally, Wedbush reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $20.00 price objective on shares of Wendy's in a research report on Friday, November 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, four have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Wendy's has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $20.04.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wendy's

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WEN. Miracle Mile Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Wendy's during the 4th quarter valued at about $357,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in 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 period. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in Wendy's by 168.1% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 1,400 shares during the period. Copley Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Wendy's in the third quarter worth approximately $451,000. Finally, Retirement Systems of Alabama raised its stake in shares of Wendy's by 16.9% in the third 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. Institutional investors own 85.96% of the company's stock.

Wendy's Trading Up 0.5 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $3.06 billion, a PE ratio of 15.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.38 and a beta of 0.78. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $17.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $17.49. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.64.

Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.25. The company had revenue of $566.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $560.50 million. Wendy's had a return on equity of 70.02% and a net margin of 8.76%. Wendy's's revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.27 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that The Wendy's Company will post 0.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wendy's Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 16th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 2nd were issued a $0.25 dividend. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.66%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 2nd. Wendy's's payout ratio is currently 105.26%.

Wendy's Company Profile

The Wendy's Company, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a quick-service restaurant company in the United States and internationally. It operates through Wendy's U.S., Wendy's International, and Global Real Estate & Development segments. The company is involved in operating, developing, and franchising a system of quick-service restaurants specializing in hamburger sandwiches.