Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) Receives Underweight Rating from Morgan Stanley

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN)‘s stock had its “underweight” rating reiterated by research analysts at Morgan Stanley in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $14.00 price target on the restaurant operator’s stock, down from their prior price target of $22.00. Morgan Stanley’s target price indicates a potential downside of 4.11% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Stephens reiterated an “equal weight” rating and set a $19.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Tuesday, November 19th. Wedbush reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $20.00 price target on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Friday, November 1st. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Wendy’s from $18.00 to $17.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 10th. UBS Group reduced their target price on shares of Wendy’s from $20.00 to $17.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Wendy’s from $18.00 to $18.75 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 8th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, twelve have given a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $19.71.

Wendy’s Trading Down 1.7 %

WEN opened at $14.60 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.08, a current ratio of 2.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 12.64. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $16.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $17.43. The company has a market capitalization of $2.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.37, a PEG ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.78. Wendy’s has a 52 week low of $14.57 and a 52 week high of $20.65.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $566.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $560.50 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.27 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.9% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that Wendy’s will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Wendy’s

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. 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 purchased a new position in Wendy’s during the second quarter valued at approximately $30,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted 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 valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares during the period. AM Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Wendy’s in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $49,000. Finally, Bartlett & CO. Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Wendy’s by 46.4% during 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 period. 85.96% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.