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. It owns and leases real estate properties. The company was formerly known as Wendy's/Arby's Group, Inc. and changed its name to The Wendy's Company in July 2011. The Wendy's Company was founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Dublin, Ohio.

Компания Wendy's демонстрирует смешанную картину по фундаментальным метрикам. С одной стороны, P/E и P/FCF значительно ниже медианы отрасли, что указывает на потенциальную недооцененность. Однако, высокая долговая нагрузка (debt_equity_ratio) и снижение показателей EPS по сравнению с медианой указывают на возможные риски. Несмотря на это, компания демонстрирует хорошие показатели по марже прибыли и рентабельности, что снижает беспокойство по поводу её способности генерировать прибыль. Выручка и чистая прибыль показывают рост, что является положительным знаком, однако общая долговая нагрузка и негативная динамика некоторых мультипликаторов могут ограничить потенциал роста акций. В целом, Wendy's выглядит как компания с некоторыми сильными сторонами, но и с серьезными вызовами, которые стоит учитывать при оценке её инвестиционной привлекательности.

Wendy's Company (The)

Looking at the universe of stocks we cover at Dividend Channel, on 3/2/26, Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (Symbol: GPI), Wendy's Co (Symbol: WEN), and Perdoceo Education Corp (Symbol: PRDO) will all trade ex-dividend for their respective upcoming dividends. Group 1 Automotive, Inc. will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.55 on 3/16/26, Wendy's Co will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.14 on 3/16/26, and Perdoceo Education Corp will pay its quarterly dividend of $0.15 on 3/13/26. As a percentage of GPI's recent stock price of $335.30, this dividend works out to approximately 0.16%, so look for shares of Group 1 Automotive, Inc. to trade 0.16% lower — all else being equal — when GPI shares open for trading on 3/2/26. Similarly, investors should look for WEN to open 1.87% lower in price and for PRDO to open 0.45% lower, all else being equal.
Below are dividend history charts for GPI, WEN, and PRDO, showing historical dividends prior to the most recent ones declared.
Group 1 Automotive, Inc. (Symbol: GPI):
Wendy's Co (Symbol: WEN):
Perdoceo Education Corp (Symbol: PRDO):
In general, dividends are not always predictable, following the ups and downs of company profits over time. Therefore, a good first due diligence step in forming an expectation of annual yield going forward, is looking at the history above, for a sense of stability over time. This can help in judging whether the most recent dividends from these companies are likely to continue. If they do continue, the current estimated yields on annualized basis would be 0.66% for Group 1 Automotive, Inc., 7.48% for Wendy's Co, and 1.80% for Perdoceo Education Corp.
In Thursday trading, Group 1 Automotive, Inc. shares are currently up about 0.1%, Wendy's Co shares are down about 3.1%, and Perdoceo Education Corp shares are up about 2.5% on the day.
Click here to learn which 25 S.A.F.E. dividend stocks should be on your radar screen »
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Ex-Dividend Reminder: Group 1 Automotive, Wendy's and Perdoceo Education

I hadn't seen my boy in years. He wasted no time laying into my career decisions.
"Why are you messing around with the finance stuff? The blogging? No future in it."
Well, good to see you too, buddy.
"You have real value in the software thing you're doing. Stick with that."
His advice was to leave Wall Street to him. He worked for a big-name firm. At the time of our run in, we were five or so years out of undergrad.
In true contrarian form, I ignored him. And it's a good thing! Here we are talking stocks together and the software startup he wanted me to focus 100% on? The thing never made much money. I sold my stake in 2018 and never looked back.
My point? Wall Street guys don't know the world outside of Manhattan.
But people listen to these Wall Street types like their word is scripture--and it's anything but. Because these guys don't have jobs that are down in the mainstream economy day to day. They don't actually know what's happening on the ground. They're getting their information secondhand, thirdhand. They're smart people, sure. They just don't have the info.
And that is why we use analyst sentiment as a contrarian indicator. Kind of like magazine covers--by the time the suits catch a trend, that trend might be about to turn. So we actually want to find stocks where analysts are disinterested, or outright negative, or just asleep at the wheel. Because that is where the value hides--especially when those hated stocks are paying fat dividends.
I have my eye on five of them right now, yielding 6.5% to 15.6%. But first, let me show you just how asleep at the wheel the pros really are. You and I both know how they get their access--it's with honey, not vinegar. So naturally, consensus ratings on most stocks tend to be overwhelmingly bullish.
But even I was surprised by how ridiculous it's gotten. Take a look at consensus analyst recommendations on the S&P 500's components:
Not One. Single. Sell.
Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence
Buys make up about 80% of the calls. The remaining 20%? Mere Holds. Not a single Sell among them!
Remember: These ratings generally pertain to the coming 12 months. That's an astonishingly optimistic view of every single S&P 500 component--especially with this many economic question marks floating around.
But if we venture outside of the S&P 500, we do find a few more bearish ratings. And those are much more meaningful to us. Because despite analysts' well-understood bent, investors are still willing to follow their lead. Sell calls have far more room for upgrades that can trigger buying, which can trigger more upgrades, and turn into a virtuous cycle of higher ratings and share prices.
Which is exactly why we contrarians should always keep an eye on the Sell bin: names like these 6.5% to 15.6% payers are packed with potential on sentiment alone.
Now, let's see if these names pass more than just the vibes test.
I'll start with HP Inc. (HPQ, 6.5% yield), the personal computing and printing technology company that only recently started pinging my high-yield radar. In theory, that could happen from a massive dividend hike, but more often than not? It's because shares have started tanking.
Looks Like the Latter
HP's product lineup is actually quite wide. Its Personal Systems division spans commercial and consumer desktops, notebooks and workstations--plus point-of-sale systems, displays, even endpoint security. Printing covers consumer and commercial printers, supplies, solutions, and 3D printing. And then there's Corporate Investments, a business incubation and investment division.
HPQ is cratering because those first two arms are being significantly impacted by what's being called a "memory crisis"--memory-chip producers simply can't keep up with the simultaneous demand from AI data centers and consumer electronics. This is driving up prices--DRAM pricing is expected to grow another 14% in 2026, while NAND pricing is set to explode by 140%--and forcing companies to re-price their offerings to salvage margins.
Combine all of that with a continued decline in print interest, plus the sudden early February exit of CEO Enrique Lores (who moved over to PayPal (PYPL)), and there's not much for us to like about HPQ right now. In fact, I'm surprised the consensus isn't worse. HPQ could be considered a "Bearish Hold" at this point; 8 pros call it a Hold, versus 4 Buys and 5 Sells.
HPQ, to its credit, has been dutifully raising its dividend every year for a decade now, including a 3%-plus hike to 30 cents per share near the end of 2025. And the payout still seems plenty safe at just 40% of current-year EPS estimates. But we could be looking at a falling knife as long as memory woes persist. If and when that changes, it might warrant another look from our corner.
Wendy's (WEN, 7.0% yield) is another "Bearish Hold" (4 Buys/20 Holds/5 Sells) in the midst of a complete stock collapse. The burger slinger's shares have been cut in half over the past year and lost 70% of their value since this point in 2023. That has sent our yield skyward!
And Wendy's Even Cut Its Dividend by 44% in 2025
And as if the chart needed more drama, shares have been whipping around on fresh headlines. WEN surged 14% on Wednesday after activist investor Trian Fund Management said it was exploring strategic options, including a potential takeover of the company. As of this writing, the stock is already in retreat from that move. This kind of volatility tells you traders are speculating on deal chatter--not betting on a fundamental turnaround just yet.
The fast-food industry's 2025 woes were well-reported, and they certainly weren't limited to Wendy's, the No. 2 U.S. hamburger quick-service restaurant in the nation. No. 1 McDonald's (MCD) and No. 3 Burger King--part of Restaurant Brands International (QSR)--also suffered slumping sales in 2025.
But while MCD and QSR managed to find their footing thanks to improved lineups and stronger promotions, Wendy's simply didn't. It recently reported an 11.3% drop in same-restaurant sales for the final quarter of 2025 and provided an EPS outlook that was well short of expectations (56-60 cents vs. 86 cents). The pros now see 2026 earnings tanking by around 33%-34%.
It's not for lack of a turnaround plan--Wendy's launched "Project Fresh" last year to stem the bleeding. But a look at the details shows a lot of back-end focus ("optimizing labor," "enhance brand relevance," "digital and equipment efficiency"). It'll close 5% to 6% of its 5,800-plus restaurants. It'll cut back on breakfast in some locations. But where's the plan that actually gets diners back through the door? I'm not seeing it.
Wendy's is also doing all this under an interim CEO; Kirk Tanner departed in July 2025 for Hershey's (HSY). Not exactly a vote of confidence.
That said: Wendy's turnaround isn't necessarily doomed for failure. Problem is, recent results hint toward a revival taking longer than expected. Plus, a new leader might very well want to tweak the plans based on his or her expertise.
But your yield is every bit as juicy as a Dave's Double, so if WEN can maintain the dividend at current levels, this could end up being a deep dividend value for our portfolios. Shares just need to stay on the grill a little longer for now.
Let's move on to a few more truly hated names--and a couple that we might actually want to keep our eye on.
American Assets Trust (AAT, 7.3% yield) is a modest real estate investment trust (REIT) at just 31 buildings across the Pacific Coast, Hawaii and Texas--but those buildings include 4.3 million square feet of office space, 2.4 million square feet of retail space, 2,302 multifamily units, and 369 hotel suites.
On its face, the 7%-plus yield on a REIT like AAT would be less alarming than it would be on a Wendy's or HP, just given the industry's income-friendly nature. But AAT is just like those two companies in that its currently high yield has much less to do with its (glacially) growing payout and much more to do with its sinking share price.
RTO Still Hasn't Revived AAT
No wonder "the Street" is sour on the name. AAT not only has zero Buy calls, but it also has a thin analyst following of just four names (2 Holds, 2 Sells). That small amount of coverage is telling, too--rather than place a Sell call on shares, it's common for analysts to simply bow out and not risk peeving management. (Can you blame them?)
The company is coming off a brutal 2025 that saw funds from operations (FFO) drop to $2.00 per share, from $2.58 in 2024. The good news? It's partly an effect of difficult year-over-year comparisons thanks to one-time leases. The bad news? It's also a reflection of an extremely weak West Coast office market that's not expected to get better anytime soon.
But it could get better eventually. Signs are showing a potential bottoming out in markets such as San Francisco and San Diego. There are other draws for our contrarian radar, too. AAT trades at about 9 times FFO estimates for 2026 and 2027. It yields 7%-plus thanks to sluggish shares. And that distribution is less than 70% of those FFO estimates--which, from that view, is pretty safe.
Problem is, those FFO estimates imply basically sideways to slightly down profitability over the next two years. Same-store growth was only about 1% in 2025, with little hope for improvement this year. And despite the seemingly low payout ratio, AAT pays out enough that it has little room to reduce its high leverage or develop new properties. Said another way: The dividend might be less certain than the payout ratio suggests if management wants to jump-start the business. We'll keep watching, but we're not jumping in yet.
Brandywine Realty Trust (BDN, 10.4% yield) is one of the largest "integrated" (or "hybrid") REITs in the U.S. Its full portfolio consists of 120 properties, but its "core" portfolio of roughly 60 properties is largely concentrated in Philadelphia and Austin--and is roughly 90% office in nature.
I looked at BDN back in September 2025. At the time, I said:
But let's keep a really close eye on the dividend. The payout was 107% of FFO through the first half of 2025, and full-year FFO are expected to just barely pay for the dividend. If Brandywine runs into liquidity issues, that 13%-plus yield could be a rug-pull just waiting to happen.
Literally that same week, BDN announced its second dividend reduction in three years. (I wish I'd been wrong on that one!)
Poor Office Trends Have Crippled Brandywine's Distribution
Again, office properties are having a miserable time of it. No wonder the pros have no love for Brandywine--three Holds, two Sells, and not a single Buy call.
But I want to focus on a few current and emerging positives that might make BDN more appealing for us down the road.
Brandywine still pays out 10% despite its significantly reduced dividend, and that dividend represents just 56% of consensus FFO estimates--a much healthier coverage ratio! The stock trades at just 5.4 times FFO estimates for 2026. And remember, I mentioned in September that "joint ventures have been Brandywine's Achilles' heel of late" because of how burdensome the development deals are on BDN. Well, BDN is working on simplifying its JV portfolio--for instance, it bought out its partner at 3151 Market St. (Philadelphia) during the most recent quarter. That's the kind of cleanup we want to see.
The REIT still has more headwinds than tailwinds, and the environment for its core property type is miserable. Asset sales and balance-sheet cleanup would go a long way toward building confidence in this down-on-its-luck property owner. One for our watch list.
Goldman Sachs BDC (GSBD, 15.6% yield), which is coming off its own 2025 dividend cut, is a business development company (BDC) that provides financing to companies with annual EBITDA of between $5 million and $75 million. Its 171-holding portfolio spans about a dozen industries, and it's concentrated in software (about 19% of the invested portfolio).
GSBD also has zero Buy calls to its name, with a sparse analyst following that breaks down to 4 Holds and 1 Sell. The lack of analyst participation is even more glaring given that GSBD is one of the largest BDCs and is tethered to mega-cap investment bank Goldman Sachs (GS). You'd think that brand name alone would attract more attention!
Why the hate? Goldman Sachs BDC has been underwhelming since its 2015 IPO. It has grossly underperformed since the COVID market rebound. And it slashed its core payout by 29% in 2025. (GSBD also pays supplemental dividends; 1.7 points of its 15.6% yield come from these extra distributions.)
But there are two reasons we should keep watching GSBD despite its historical stank: 1.) It's cheaply priced at just 72% of its net asset value (NAV)--that's a 28% discount to what it owns!--and 2.) it has been ditching its legacy portfolio and been much more aggressive making deals of late.
This 11% Dividend Is Overlooked, Too--But in Much Better Position
My favorite "hated" dividend right now is every bit as diversified as GSBD. But instead of a portfolio of small businesses (which we don't love in a shaky economy), it's a smartly built bond portfolio that's set to gain as rates fall.
But that's not the only reason we love it. This fund ...
Pays out 11% in annual income!
Has increased its dividend over time
Has paid out multiple special dividends
And pays its dividends each and every month!
That's a resume few income investors could resist ... and why would we?
This fund pays us $1,100 for every $10K we invest. All we need to do is sit back, relax, and let a skilled manager call the shots.
But premiums on funds like these tend to rise as volatility ticks higher and as investors rotate out of growth stocks and into reliable sources of income like this. I don't want you to miss your chance. Click here and I'll introduce you to this "ironclad" 11% payer and give you a free Special Report revealing its name and ticker.
Also see:
Warren Buffett Dividend Stocks
Dividend Growth Stocks: 25 Aristocrats
Future Dividend Aristocrats: Close Contenders
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Five Dividends Up to 15% the "Smart Money" Can't Stand

In trading on Wednesday, information technology services shares were relative leaders, up on the day by about 4.4%. Leading the group were shares of Rackspace Technology, up about 238.9% and shares of Global-E Online up about 14.5% on the day.
Also showing relative strength are restaurants & eateries shares, up on the day by about 3.3% as a group, led by Sabre, trading higher by about 20.5% and Wendy's, trading higher by about 17.5% on Wednesday.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Wednesday Sector Leaders: Information Technology Services, Restaurants & Eateries

Key Points
Hedge-fund titan Nelson Peltz said his firm is looking for ways to boost Wendy's share price.
Peltz's firm, Trian Asset Management, made the disclosure in an SEC filing early Wednesday.
After months of declines, shares of Wendy's (NASDAQ: WEN) were rebounding in a big way on Wednesday. The cause: Longtime investor Nelson Peltz said he may soon push for changes at the slumping fast-food giant -- the kinds of changes that could drive the stock higher.
It's already working, at least for the moment. As of 1:00 p.m. ET, Wendy's shares were up about 16.8% from Tuesday's closing price.
Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue »
Peltz's hedge fund firm, Trian Asset Management, said in an SEC filing that the firm has spoken with "potential financing sources, potential co-investors and certain potential strategic partners" about possible transactions that "may benefit the company's shareholders."
Trian has retained advisors to "explore various plans and actions and propose potential transactions," it said in the filing, submitted on Wednesday morning. The firm has been a Wendy's shareholder for years and currently holds about 16% of the company.
Could this reverse Wendy's months-long stock decline?
Wendy's, like other fast-food and fast-casual chains, has struggled since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as foot traffic has dropped amid a surge in people working from home.
But Wendy's troubles have accelerated in recent months: Even with Wednesday's gains, shares are down nearly 42% over the past year. While its fourth-quarter earnings beat estimates, its 2026 profit guidance fell well short of Wall Street's expectations.
That in turn led to a wave of analyst price target cuts that hit shares hard on Tuesday. Today's price action suggests that long-suffering investors in the burger giant are eager to see what kind of catalyst Peltz and his team can come up with. We may find out soon.
Should you buy stock in Wendy's right now?
Before you buy stock in Wendy's, consider this:
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*Stock Advisor returns as of February 18, 2026.
John Rosevear has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Why Wendy's Long-Slumping Stock Rebounded in a Big Way on Wednesday

Key Points
A clutch of analysts reduced their price targets on the fast-food industry stalwart.
This wasn't a coincidence; the moves came on the heels of the latest earnings report.
A wave of analyst price target cuts made Wendy's (NASDAQ: WEN) stock a very unappealing investment on Tuesday. Those moves closely followed the fast food company's latest set of quarterly earnings, which fell notably short of top-line guidance for this year. The company's stock lost more than 6% of its value that trading session.
Unwanted cuts
By my count, no less than ten analysts tracking Wendy's made such adjustments that day, following the company's fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings release last Friday.
Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue »
Among the numerous researchers doing so were those at investment banking heavyweights Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley. The former's Christine Cho trimmed her price target to $7 per share from $8, while maintaining her sell recommendation. Her peer Brian Harbour at Morgan Stanley reduced his to $8 per share from $9, also keeping his equivalent of a sell designation intact.
Although Wendy's beat on both the top and bottom lines for the quarter, it posted notable declines in major fundamentals. Total sales fell by 8% year over year to $3.4 billion, while per-share net income not in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) plummeted by 36% to $0.16 per share.
Worse, its guidance for full-year 2026 non-GAAP (adjusted) net income -- $0.56 to $0.60 per share -- was well short of the consensus analyst projection of $0.85.
Not a tasty meal just now
In an environment where once-beloved food and beverage stocks have fallen from favor -- I'm looking at you, Chipotle Mexican Grill and Starbucks -- a rather traditional fast food purveyor like Wendy's has to excel to earn investor favor. With those recent declines in key fundamentals, it's not getting the job done, and I can't imagine a scenario where the company suddenly turns this around. I'd avoid Wendy's stock these days.
Should you buy stock in Wendy's right now?
Before you buy stock in Wendy's, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Wendy's wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $414,554!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,120,663!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 884% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 193% for the S&P 500. Don't miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors.
*Stock Advisor returns as of February 17, 2026.
Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Chipotle Mexican Grill, Goldman Sachs Group, and Starbucks. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: short March 2026 $42.50 calls on Chipotle Mexican Grill. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Why Wendy's Stock Tanked on Tuesday

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Wendy's (WEN) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript

Wendy's (WEN) came out with quarterly earnings of $0.16 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.14 per share. This compares to earnings of $0.25 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +13.56%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this hamburger chain would post earnings of $0.2 per share when it actually produced earnings of $0.24, delivering a surprise of +20%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates three times.
Wendy's, which belongs to the Zacks Retail - Restaurants industry, posted revenues of $542.97 million for the quarter ended December 2025, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.28%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $574.27 million. The company has topped consensus revenue estimates three times over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
Wendy's shares have lost about 12.7% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's decline of 0.2%.
What's Next for Wendy's?
While Wendy's has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.
Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Wendy's was unfavorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to underperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $0.18 on $541.26 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $0.84 on $2.28 billion in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Retail - Restaurants is currently in the bottom 23% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
Cheesecake Factory (CAKE), another stock in the same industry, has yet to report results for the quarter ended December 2025. The results are expected to be released on February 18.
This restaurant chain is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.99 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -4.8%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 1.9% higher over the last 30 days to the current level.
Cheesecake Factory's revenues are expected to be $948.89 million, up 3% from the year-ago quarter.
Should You Invest in The Wendy's Company (WEN)?
Before you invest in The Wendy's Company (WEN), want to know the best stocks to buy for the next 30 days? Check out Zacks Investment Research for our free report on the 7 best stocks to buy.
Zacks Investment Research has been committed to providing investors with tools and independent research since 1978. For more than a quarter century, the Zacks Rank stock-rating system has more than doubled the S&P 500 with an average gain of +24.08% per year. (These returns cover a period from January 1, 1988 through May 6, 2024.)
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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Wendy's (WEN) Q4 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates

(RTTNews) - The Wendy's Company (WEN) said, during 2026, the company expects: global systemwide sales to be approximately flat, adjusted EBITDA in a range of $460 to $480 million, and adjusted earnings per share in a range of $0.56 to $0.60.
Fourth quarter earnings came in at $26.481 million, or $0.14 per share. This compares with $47.497 million, or $0.23 per share, last year. Excluding items, adjusted earnings was $29.59 million or $0.16 per share for the period. Revenue for the period fell 5.5% to $542.974 million from $574.273 million last year. Adjusted revenues declined to $439.627 million from $459.343 million.
In pre-market trading on NasdaqGS, Wendy's shares are down 6.7 percent to $6.78.
For more earnings news, earnings calendar, and earnings for stocks, visit rttnews.com.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Wendy's Issues FY26 Outlook

(RTTNews) - The Wendy's Company (WEN) announced a profit for fourth quarter that Drops, from last year
The company's earnings came in at $26.481 million, or $0.14 per share. This compares with $47.497 million, or $0.23 per share, last year.
Excluding items, The Wendy's Company reported adjusted earnings of $29.59 million or $0.16 per share for the period.
The company's revenue for the period fell 5.5% to $542.974 million from $574.273 million last year.
The Wendy's Company earnings at a glance (GAAP) :
-Earnings: $26.481 Mln. vs. $47.497 Mln. last year. -EPS: $0.14 vs. $0.23 last year. -Revenue: $542.974 Mln vs. $574.273 Mln last year.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

The Wendy's Company Q4 Income Falls

Key Points
Wendy's stock declined 46% in the past year.
Wendy's is one of several fast food and fast casual restaurants to experience recent declines.
"Project Fresh" is what Wendy's (NASDAQ: WEN) is officially calling its turnaround plan. Wendy's stock has been on the decline for quite some time. The company is taking aggressive action to right the ship. With earnings due on Feb. 13, investors are anxious to see if those efforts are actually working. Last quarter, global sales were down 2.6%, and adjusted earnings per share fell 4%.
The fast food chain began a downward spiral in late 2024, and it's continued to decline ever since. Over the past 12 months, Wendy's stock has fallen nearly 46%. For those who believe in the turnaround plan, Wendy's stock is currently extremely cheap. The stock is trading with a forward P/E ratio of around 9 and a price-to-sales ratio well under 1. Wendy's is hovering just above its 52-week low as of Feb. 9.
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Fast food and fast casual restaurants have suffered across the board since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, as foot traffic has slowed and a work-from-home culture endures.
Wendy's turnaround plan has four main pillars: brand revitalization, system optimization, operational excellence, and capital allocation. Wendy's added new energy drinks, revamped its coffee offerings, and is leaning into chicken tenders. The 56-year-old restaurant chain admitted it is seeing more pressure on lower-income consumers, which is also hurting sales. Wendy's may close up to 300 franchises in the U.S.
Ultimately, I'm skeptical of the company's plan, or at least think it may take longer to see real improvements than company executives hope. There's also only so much Wendy's can control. If low and middle-income consumers continue to see their wallets tighten in the next year or longer, that won't do anything to help Wendy's comeback.
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Catie Hogan has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.