The Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q2 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Wendy's in a report issued on Tuesday, April 1st. Zacks Research analyst H. Ray now anticipates that the restaurant operator will post earnings of $0.31 per share for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $0.32. The consensus estimate for Wendy's' current full-year earnings is $0.99 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Wendy's' Q2 2026 earnings at $0.31 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.27 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $0.27 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $1.12 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $1.12 EPS.
Wendy's (NASDAQ:WEN - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.01. Wendy's had a net margin of 8.65% and a return on equity of 75.56%. The company had revenue of $574.27 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $564.17 million.
Other equities analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Stephens reissued an "equal weight" rating and set a $15.00 price target on shares of Wendy's in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Morgan Stanley restated an "underweight" rating and issued a $14.00 price target (down previously from $22.00) on shares of Wendy's in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. TD Securities reiterated a "hold" rating and set a $16.00 price objective on shares of Wendy's in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Wedbush reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $16.00 price target on shares of Wendy's in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Truist Financial decreased their target price on shares of Wendy's from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, four have given a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $18.08.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on WEN
Wendy's Stock Performance
NASDAQ:WEN traded up $0.52 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $12.94. 2,530,732 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,138,361. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.65, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.61. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $14.85 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.55. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.48, a current ratio of 1.85 and a quick ratio of 1.83. Wendy's has a twelve month low of $12.06 and a twelve month high of $20.65.
Wendy's Dividend Announcement
The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were paid a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.73%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, March 3rd. Wendy's's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 105.26%.
Institutional Trading of Wendy's
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. MetLife Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in Wendy's by 0.6% in the third quarter. MetLife Investment Management LLC now owns 92,132 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $1,614,000 after purchasing an additional 590 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Wendy's by 2.9% during the 4th quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 25,529 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $416,000 after acquiring an additional 717 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its stake in shares of Wendy's by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 57,400 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $979,000 after acquiring an additional 797 shares in the last quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Wendy's by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 15,634 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $255,000 after acquiring an additional 897 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Wendy's by 46.4% in the 4th quarter. Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,107 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 985 shares during the last quarter. 85.96% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
About Wendy's
(
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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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