Zacks Research Has Strong Forecast for Wendy’s Q4 Earnings

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN) – Analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q4 2024 earnings per share estimates for Wendy’s in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, November 14th. Zacks Research analyst H. Ray now anticipates that the restaurant operator will post earnings of $0.24 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.22. The consensus estimate for Wendy’s’ current full-year earnings is $0.99 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Wendy’s’ Q1 2025 earnings at $0.22 EPS, Q3 2025 earnings at $0.25 EPS, Q4 2025 earnings at $0.25 EPS, FY2025 earnings at $1.01 EPS, Q2 2026 earnings at $0.31 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $0.27 EPS and FY2026 earnings at $1.12 EPS.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 31st. The restaurant operator reported $0.25 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.25. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 70.02% and a net margin of 8.76%. The company had revenue of $566.70 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $560.50 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.27 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis.

WEN has been the topic of several other research reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered their price objective on shares of Wendy’s from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, August 2nd. TD Cowen boosted their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $17.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 16th. Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $23.00 to $19.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, August 2nd. Stephens restated an “equal weight” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research report on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Tigress Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $29.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have issued a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.36.

Wendy’s Stock Performance

WEN stock opened at $18.12 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 2.10, a quick ratio of 2.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.64. Wendy’s has a 12-month low of $15.61 and a 12-month high of $20.65. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.69 billion, a PE ratio of 19.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.79. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $18.49 and its 200 day simple moving average is $17.66.

Institutional Trading of Wendy’s

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in WEN. Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL acquired a new position in shares of Wendy’s in the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in Wendy’s during the 2nd quarter valued at $30,000. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in Wendy’s by 483.2% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 1,872 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,551 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Wendy’s during the 1st quarter valued at $44,000. 85.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, December 16th. Investors of record on Monday, December 2nd will be issued a $0.25 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Monday, December 2nd. This represents a $1.00 annualized dividend and a yield of 5.52%. Wendy’s’s payout ratio is 105.26%.

About Wendy’s

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.