JPMorgan Chase & Co. Has Lowered Expectations for Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Stock Price

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) had its price objective dropped by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $9.00 to $7.00 in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price objective suggests a potential downside of 10.31% from the company’s current price.

Other analysts have also issued reports about the company. Stephens decreased their price target on Wendy’s from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $8.00 to $7.00 and set an “underperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 9th. Evercore set a $8.00 target price on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Barclays dropped their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $9.00 to $8.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, February 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $9.30.

Wendy’s Trading Down 3.5%

NASDAQ WEN traded down $0.29 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $7.81. 5,575,902 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 9,033,175. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.49 billion, a PE ratio of 9.19, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 28.77, a quick ratio of 1.74 and a current ratio of 1.76. Wendy’s has a 1-year low of $6.73 and a 1-year high of $16.20. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $8.14 and its 200 day simple moving average is $8.85.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, February 13th. The restaurant operator reported $0.16 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.02. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 145.93% and a net margin of 7.58%.The company had revenue of $439.60 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $537.11 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.25 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Wendy’s has set its FY 2026 guidance at 0.560-0.600 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Wendy’s will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in Wendy’s during the 3rd quarter valued at $36,912,000. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 38.1% during the fourth quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 11,705,610 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $97,508,000 after purchasing an additional 3,227,366 shares during the period. Wells Fargo & Company MN boosted its holdings in shares of Wendy’s by 258.6% in the 4th quarter. Wells Fargo & Company MN now owns 4,224,648 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $35,191,000 after buying an additional 3,046,517 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership grew its position in shares of Wendy’s by 61.3% during the 2nd quarter. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership now owns 5,041,012 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $57,568,000 after buying an additional 1,915,465 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Wendy’s in the second quarter worth about $18,929,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.96% of the company’s stock.

Wendy’s Company Profile

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) operates as a global quick-service restaurant chain, best known for its square-shaped beef patties, fresh ingredient sourcing and signature Frosty dessert. The company’s menu features a variety of hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, breakfast sandwiches, sides and beverages, designed to appeal to a broad customer base seeking both classic and contemporary fast-food options. Wendy’s has placed particular emphasis on product innovation, introducing limited-time offerings and revamped core menu items to maintain customer interest and respond to evolving dining trends.

Founded in 1969 by entrepreneur Dave Thomas in Columbus, Ohio, Wendy’s expanded rapidly through both company-owned and franchised outlets.