Zacks Research Analysts Cut Earnings Estimates for Wendy’s

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Wendy’s in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, April 1st. Zacks Research analyst H. Ray now expects that the restaurant operator will post earnings per share of $0.26 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of $0.28. The consensus estimate for Wendy’s’ current full-year earnings is $0.99 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Wendy’s’ Q1 2027 earnings at $0.28 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $1.19 EPS.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on WEN. Argus raised shares of Wendy’s to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 18th. Truist Financial reduced their price objective on Wendy’s from $22.00 to $19.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 14th. Citigroup increased their target price on Wendy’s from $15.50 to $16.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a “neutral” rating and set a $17.00 price target (down from $20.00) on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Wednesday, February 26th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and issued a $15.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have assigned 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 stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $18.08.

Wendy’s Price Performance

WEN stock opened at $13.30 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $2.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.00, a P/E/G ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 0.61. 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 company has a 50 day simple moving average of $14.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $16.66. Wendy’s has a 1 year low of $13.22 and a 1 year high of $20.65.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.24 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $574.27 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $564.17 million. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 75.56% and a net margin of 8.65%.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, March 17th. Shareholders of record on Monday, March 3rd were issued a dividend of $0.25 per share. This represents a $1.00 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 7.52%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, March 3rd. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is 105.26%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 670.3% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,402 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 1,220 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in Wendy’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $30,000. Colonial Trust Co SC acquired a new position in Wendy’s during the 4th quarter worth approximately $31,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Wendy’s by 168.1% in the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 2,233 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hillsdale Investment Management Inc. acquired a new stake in Wendy’s in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $46,000. 85.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Wendy’s

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.