Wendy's Company (The) (WEN)
Consumer Discretionary · Quick-service restaurant chains · NASDAQ
Quick-service hamburger restaurant chain operating through company-owned and franchised locations with focus on food quality and fresh beef.
What Wendy's Company (The) does
Wendy's operates a quick-service restaurant system consisting of company-operated and franchised Wendy's restaurants. The company generates revenues from direct sales at company-operated locations, royalties and fees from franchisees, franchise rental income, and advertising fund contributions. Wendy's competes in the hamburger and fast-casual dining segments with a focus on high-quality food offerings and customer experience. The company operates a primarily asset-light franchise model with significant international presence.
Themes: Quick-service restaurants / QSR, Hamburger chains, Franchise business model, Digital engagement / customer experience, Consumer discretionary spending
Fundamentals
- Price$9.01 as of 2026-08-21 close
- Market cap$1.7B as of 2026-08-21
- 1-year return-12.9% 2025-08-21 close $10.35 → 2026-08-21 close $9.01
- P/E13.09 as of 2026-08-24
- Net margin+5.7% as of 2026-08-24
- Gross margin+59.8% as of 2026-08-24
- ROE+109.0% as of 2026-08-24
- Debt / equity28.42 as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue growth (YoY)-1.0% as of 2026-08-24
- Revenue CAGR (3y)+4.7% SEC XBRL
- Beta0.40 as of 2026-08-24
- Last reported earnings2026-08-07 SEC EDGAR Form 8-K (Item 2.02)
Dividend: yield +7.6%; 1-year non-decreasing per-share dividend streak (SEC XBRL).
How WEN compares in its sector
- price-to-earnings ratiobottom 25% 266 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- net profit marginmiddle range 334 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- operating margintop 25% 334 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- gross margintop 25% 331 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- return on equitytop 10% 334 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- 3-year revenue CAGRmiddle range 325 covered Consumer Discretionary peers
- indicated dividend yieldtop 10% 162 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of 2026-08-24
- free cash flow (absolute dollars, latest fiscal year)middle range 311 covered Consumer Discretionary peers, as of FY2025
Position among covered Consumer Discretionary companies that report each metric (minimum 5 peers). A relative position within our covered catalog — not a valuation, quality, or investment judgment. A higher percentile is simply a higher value (for P/E, more expensive on earnings — never "better"). Informational only.
Dividend coverage (FY2025)
Covered by reported results. In FY2025, WEN's dividend was covered by reported results (earnings payout 79%, free-cash-flow payout 53%). This describes past coverage, not a forecast.
- Earnings payout79% dividends / net income
- Free-cash-flow payout53% dividends / (operating cash flow − capex)
Coverage derived from reported SEC EDGAR XBRL figures for FY2025 (dividends paid vs. net income and free cash flow, same fiscal year). This describes PAST coverage for one fiscal year — it does not predict whether a dividend will be maintained, raised, or cut, and a one-year payout ratio can be distorted by non-recurring items. Informational only — not financial advice.
How Wendy's Company (The) looks technically
Wendy's Company (The) (WEN) is trading 16.5% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend. Its 50-day average crossed below its 200-day average about 402 trading days ago — a "death cross", a bearish long-term signal. A strong uptrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 25, with buyers in control. Momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 64, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30). MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bullish about 8 trading days ago (its momentum flipped positive). It just made a new 20-day high, its first since 2025-11-05, pushing above its recent trading range. It is 16.9% below its highest point of the past year.
Trend
9
| Distance from the 200-day | it is trading 16.5% above its 200-day average, the long-term trend line — a longer-term uptrend | +16.5% |
|---|---|---|
| 50-day moving average | its average price over the last 50 trading days — a short-term trend line — is $7.68 | $7.68 |
| 200-day moving average | its average price over the last 200 trading days — the long-term trend line — is $7.73 | $7.73 |
| Swing structure | each recent peak has been lower than the one before it and each dip deeper — the pattern chart-watchers call a downtrend, which describes where price has already been and not where it goes next | lower highs and lower lows |
| Last swing turn | its last significant turn was a swing low 28 calendar days ago — the swings before that are what the structure reading is measured on | 28 sessions |
| Wave structure | its recent swings can be read as a completed three-part downward correction — a pullback in the A-B-C shape Elliott-wave chartists use; the labelling fails if price closes below 6.97. It is the only labelling that fits, though not with textbook proportions, and it describes the swings already printed, not what comes next. | possible three-wave downward correction, complete (atypical proportions) |
| Since the 50/200 cross | its 50-day average crossed below its 200-day average about 402 trading days ago — a "death cross", a bearish long-term signal | 402 sessions |
| Above the 200-day after a dip | it recently dipped to its 200-day average (the long-term trend line) and has since climbed back above it — now about 16.5% above | +16.5% |
| Trend strength (14-day ADX) | a strong uptrend is in place — ADX, a 0–100 trend-strength gauge, is 25, with buyers in control | 25.2 |
Momentum
3
| 14-day RSI | momentum is neutral — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 64, neither overbought (above 70) nor oversold (below 30) | 64.2 |
|---|---|---|
| Position in its 14-day range | it is trading right at the top of its 14-day range ($7.06 to $9.04) — its "stochastic" reading is 98 out of 100, where 0 would mean closing exactly at the 14-session low and 100 exactly at the high. This measures WHERE the price sits inside its recent range, which is a different question from the RSI beside it: RSI is a momentum gauge, measuring how FAST the price has been moving, so a stock can drift quietly to the bottom of its range with an ordinary RSI, or fall sharply and still sit in the middle. It has been climbing within that range over the last few sessions. | 98.5 |
| Since the MACD crossed zero | MACD, a trend-momentum gauge, turned bullish about 8 trading days ago (its momentum flipped positive) | 8 sessions |
Range
12
| 52-week high | its highest closing price over the past year (about 252 trading days) was $10.84 | $10.84 |
|---|---|---|
| From the 52-week high | it is 16.9% below its 52-week high (its highest price of the past year) | -16.9% |
| Above the 52-week low | it is 48.4% above its 52-week low (its lowest price of the past year) | +48.4% |
| Below the 52-week high | it is 16.9% below its highest point of the past year | 16.9% |
| Since a 20-day breakout | it just made a new 20-day high, its first since 2025-11-05, pushing above its recent trading range | 1 session |
| Since a 55-day breakout | it just made a new 55-day high, its first since 2025-11-05, pushing above its recent trading range | 1 session |
| All-time high | its highest closing price on record is $29.46 (set on 2021-06-08) | $29.46 |
| Given back of the 52-week move | over the past year its closes ranged ($6.17 to $10.68), and it has recovered close to two thirds of its fall from last year’s high — 63% of it. Chart-watchers call 61.8%-65% given back the "golden pocket", and this is inside it — for this company that is $8.96 to $9.10. It is watched widely enough that orders cluster there, which is the honest reason it matters; it is not a forecast. | 63.0% |
| From the all-time high | it is 69.4% below its all-time high | -69.4% |
| Nearest price level | it is trading 3.0% above a support level at $8.74 — a price it turned at three times since 2025-12-02, most recently on 2026-01-09. Since 2024-08-21 it has 6 such levels below the current price and 10 above. Levels like these describe where the price has reversed or paused before; they are not a forecast of where it will go. | -3.0% |
| All-time low | its lowest closing price on record is $2.63 (set on 2008-10-28) | $2.63 |
| Above the all-time low | it is 242.6% above its all-time low | +242.6% |
Volatility
5
| Band width vs its own 6 months | day-to-day price swings are unusually wide versus its own recent history (wider than about 82% of the past ~6 months) | 82nd percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Typical daily range | in a typical session it travels about $0.4183 between its high and its low — about 4.6% of its price. That is its "average true range" over the last 14 sessions, which also counts the distance from the previous close, so a day that opens well away from yesterday counts as the large move it was | $0.4183 |
| Bollinger bands (20-day, ±2σ) | most of its recent trading has stayed between about $6.80 and $9.23 — the "Bollinger bands", a range drawn two standard deviations either side of its 20-day average price, which widens when the stock gets more volatile and narrows when it settles | $6.80 – $8.01 – $9.23 |
| Typical daily range (% of price) | its price moves about 4.6% in a typical session — about typical for the companies we cover. This is the average gap between a session's high and low over the last 14 sessions, counting overnight moves, expressed against the current price so it can be compared with companies trading at any price | 4.6% |
| Stretch from the 200-day average | it is trading 3.1 daily ranges above its 200-day average price (16.5% above it in plain percentage terms) — a way of asking how far it has stretched from its own average in units of how far it normally moves in a day, so a calm company and a jumpy one can be compared on the same scale | 3.1 daily ranges above its 200-day average |
Volume
1
| Volume vs its 30-day average | trading volume is about normal versus its 30-day average | 0.60× |
|---|
Analyst
2
| Change in the average price target | analysts have raised their average price target by 0.7% since the prior reading | +0.7% |
|---|---|---|
| Change in the consensus rating | the analyst consensus rating is unchanged since the prior reading | unchanged |
Candlestick patterns
2
| Since a doji | 3 sessions ago it opened and closed at almost the same price after trading through a wider range — a "doji", the classic picture of buyers and sellers finishing the session level | 3 sessions ago |
|---|---|---|
| Since a bullish engulfing | 8 sessions ago it opened below the previous session's close and finished above that session's open — a "bullish engulfing" pair, where one up day more than undid the down day before it | 8 sessions ago |
Price gaps
3
| Gap at the open | it opened on 2026-08-21 0.3% above the previous session's close — an overnight gap, the part of the move that happened while the market was shut, and traded back through that level before the close | +0.3% |
|---|---|---|
| Open gap | it gapped 25.1% above the previous close 41 sessions ago and has not traded back through the level it left behind at 6.26 — an "unfilled gap", which describes a price range no trade has since crossed and is not a forecast that it will be crossed | +25.1% |
| Gap filled | a 2.5% gap down opened on 2026-08-10 has been "filled" 7 sessions ago — price traded back through the level the gap left behind, and it took 2 sessions to close | 7 sessions ago |
Price streaks
1
| Closing streak | it closed higher in its latest session, after a session that did not close higher — a single up day rather than a run | 1 session up |
|---|
Relative strength
4
| vs market, 1 month | over the past 1 month this stock beat the market by 15.8 percentage points (the stock gained 18.1% while the market gained 2.3%) | +15.8% |
|---|---|---|
| vs market, 3 months | over the past 3 months this stock beat the market by 15.1 percentage points (the stock gained 18.2% while the market gained 3.1%) | +15.1% |
| vs market, 6 months | over the past 6 months this stock beat the market by 0.3 percentage points (the stock gained 11.4% while the market gained 11.1%) | +0.3% |
| vs market, 12 months | over the past 12 months this stock lagged the market by 33.4 percentage points (the stock lost 12.9% while the market gained 20.5%) | -33.4% |
Signal agreement
2
| Bullish technical signals | 6 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bullish state: a strong uptrend, with buyers in control, trading above its 200-day average, a fresh 20-day high, MACD momentum is positive, outperforming the market over 6 months, trading above the Ichimoku cloud — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 6 of 9 |
|---|---|---|
| Bearish technical signals | 2 of the 9 technical signals we can compute for it are currently in a bearish state: a "death cross" — its 50-day average is below its 200-day, near the top of its 14-day range (overbought) — these describe past price behaviour, not a forecast | 2 of 9 |
Trend (Ichimoku cloud)
1
| Vs the Ichimoku cloud | trading 14% above the Ichimoku cloud — a band drawn from where its own highs and lows sat up to 2026-07-16 and projected forward over today's price, the side traders read as an established uptrend, with the band below acting as the level that would have to give way. The band itself is thin, spanning 1.5% of the share price, which is taken to mean a barrier that gives way easily. | +14.1% |
|---|
Volume-weighted price
2
| Vs this year’s average price paid | the price is 18% above the average price paid so far this year, so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $7.64 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 157 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +18.0% |
|---|---|---|
| Vs the average paid since it last reported | the price is 8% above the average price paid since it last reported on 2026-08-07 (its 10-Q), so the typical buyer over that stretch is showing a gain. That average is $8.36 — a volume-weighted average of daily closes over 11 sessions, not a true tick-by-tick VWAP. | +7.8% |
Price levels it has turned at before
WEN last closed at $9.01 on 2026-08-21. Since 2024-08-21 it has turned at 6 prices below its last close and 10 above; the 3 nearest below and the 3 nearest above are listed, nearest first.
| Level | Side | Distance | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| $8.74 | Support | 3.0% below the last close | turned there three times · 2025-12-02 to 2026-01-09 |
| $9.43 | Resistance | 4.7% above the last close | turned there twice · 2025-10-22 to 2026-07-02 |
| $8.35 | Support | 7.3% below the last close | turned there four times · 2025-10-30 to 2026-05-13 |
| $9.67 | Resistance | 7.3% above the last close | turned there twice · 2025-08-05 to 2025-10-03 |
| $8.05 | Support | 10.7% below the last close | turned there twice · 2025-12-10 to 2026-07-17 |
| $10.91 | Resistance | 21.1% above the last close | turned there three times · 2025-05-30 to 2025-08-19 |
A level is a price this company reversed or paused at more than once — they describe past behaviour, not a forecast of where the price will go.
Wave structure
Its recent swings can be read as a three-part downward correction — the A-B-C shape chartists use for a pullback — now complete.
This labelling fails — stops being a possible reading at all — if it closes below $6.97.
It is the only labelling that fits these swings, though its proportions are not the textbook ones.
This labelling was already in place when we began recording count changes on 2026-08-12, so how long it has stood is not something we can say yet.
Read from daily closes as of 2026-08-21.
An Elliott-wave count describes the swings already printed and the level that would disprove it. It is not a forecast, a target, or advice.
Screens: Trading above the 200-day moving average · Tested and reclaimed 200-day support · Broke out to a new 20-day high · in a strong, established uptrend (ADX) · At the top of its 14-day range (stochastic above 80) · Near the golden pocket (has given back about two thirds of its 52-week move) | Learn: moving average · golden cross · adx · rsi · macd · breakout · fifty two week high low
Based on daily closing prices as of 2026-08-21. Describes past price behavior only — informational, not financial advice.
Analyst consensus
- Consensus ratingHold (3.04 mean, 1=Strong Buy…5=Strong Sell) — 19 analysts
- Mean price target$7.79 range $5.00 – $13.00; median $8.00
Analyst estimates, as of 2026-08-18. These are third-party analyst opinions and price targets, aggregated — not a recommendation, prediction, or advice from stocks-llm. Informational only.
Analyst EPS estimate for WEN
- Consensus EPS estimate$0.1072 next reporting period, as of 2026-08-18
Change over time is not available yet: it needs two readings of the same reporting period at least 30 days apart, and we have been recording these estimates since 2026-08-04. An estimate for a DIFFERENT quarter is not a revision, so a reading from before the last report is never compared with one after it.
The consensus estimate for the next reporting period, and how it has moved between readings of that SAME period. A change is measured only between readings estimating one period — when a company reports, the consensus moves to the next quarter and the two numbers are not comparable. Informational only, not a forecast and not advice.
Key risks (from latest filing)
["Intense competition from major restaurant chains, grocery stores, and convenience stores with price discounting and promotional strategies that could reduce traffic and market share.","Adverse macroeconomic conditions, inflation, rising interest rates, and labor costs could reduce consumer discretionary spending and pressure franchise and company-operated restaurant profitability.","Changes in consumer preferences away from hamburger category or toward healthier options, weight loss medications, or dietary trends could reduce demand for traditional menu offerings."]
What changed in the latest 10-Q
AI-assisted comparison of WEN's 10-Q filed 2026-05-08 against the prior one filed 2025-11-07.
Management's Discussion & Analysis (MD&A)
- Added:
- Newer filing (2026-05-08) adds: 'On May 8, 2026, the Company announced its entry into a franchise agreement to build up to 1,000 Wendy's restaurants across China over the next 10 years with a large restaurant operator with decades of experience in China.'
- Newer filing (2026-05-08) adds First Quarter Highlights section with metrics for Q1 2026 vs Q1 2025, including global systemwide sales of $3.22 billion, international systemwide sales of $518.0 million, revenues of $540.6 million, same-restaurant sales decreases, Company-operated restaurant margin of 10.8%, and income before income taxes of $34.2 million.
- Removed:
- Older filing (2025-11-07) contained 'All three- and nine-month periods presented herein contain 13 weeks and 39 weeks, respectively.' This language is removed in newer filing, replaced with 'All three-month periods presented herein contain 13 weeks.'
- Older filing (2025-11-07) had Third Quarter Highlights section with Q3 2025 metrics. This is replaced by First Quarter Highlights in newer filing.
- Older filing (2025-11-07) reference to 'Note 18 to the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements' changed to 'Note 17' in newer filing.
- Older filing (2025-11-07) stated 'Company-operated restaurants comprised approximately 5% of the total Wendy's system as of September 28, 2025.' This statement is removed in newer filing.
- Reworded:
- Restaurant system composition date changed from 'September 28, 2025' to 'March 29, 2026'
- U.S. restaurants count changed from 5,979 to 5,805
- Company-operated U.S. restaurants changed from 421 to 420
- Franchisees in U.S. changed from 202 to 205
- International restaurants changed from 1,384 to 1,446
- International franchisees changed from 113 to 116
- Company-operated U.K. restaurants changed from 14 to 11
- Foreign countries count changed from 35 to 38
- Project Fresh description updated from 'attract new customers to Wendy's through more compelling marketing and to increase traffic by providing an exceptional customer experience' to 'drive profitable average unit volume growth and increase traffic in the U.S. by improving marketing effectiveness, menu offerings and the customer experience, and to enhance franchisee economics'
- International strategic priorities expanded from 'sustaining strong net unit growth' to 'sustaining strong net unit growth and driving profitable average unit volume growth'
- Reference changed from 'consolidated financial statements' to 'condensed consolidated financial statements' in Systemwide Sales section
- Older filing reference to 'GAAP financial measures' changed to 'our condensed consolidated financial statements' in newer filing
- Notes:
- The newer filing text is incomplete at the end (cuts off mid-sentence at 'Income before income taxes decreased 37.8% to $34.2 mill'), so some content may be missing from the comparison.
- The older filing similarly appears incomplete (ends with 'Year-to-Date' without continuation), limiting full assessment of removed content.
Risk Factors
The two filings could not be meaningfully compared for this section.
AI-assisted comparison of two SEC filing sections. It describes wording and theme changes only, makes no materiality, legal, or investment judgement, and is not financial advice. Informational only — not financial advice.
Insider activity (SEC Form 4)
No open-market insider purchases or sales are on record for WEN — recent Form 4 activity was compensation-related (awards, option exercises, or tax withholding), not open-market buying or selling.
View full insider trading history → View SEC Form 3/4/5 filingsOnly open-market purchases (SEC code P) and sales (code S) are counted here. Option exercises, vesting/awards, gifts, and shares withheld for taxes are excluded — they are compensation or mechanical, not open-market conviction. Sales may be planned and non-discretionary (e.g. a Rule 10b5-1 plan) and are not necessarily bearish; open-market buying is not a recommendation to buy. Informational only — not financial advice.
Institutional ownership (13F)
6 institutional 13F filers reported holding WEN as of 2026-03-31 (quarter-end position, filed within 45 days).
- Distinct 13F filers 6
- Reported shares held 34,466,849
- Reported value $239,544,599
reported quarterly holdings change (2025-12-31 → 2026-03-31): 0 new, 4 increased, 2 decreased, 0 exited. Change counts cover only managers that filed 13F reports in BOTH quarters, derived between two quarter-end snapshots — not same-day trades; a single manager is never said to have "bought" or "sold".
Institutional holdings are quarter-end long positions reported on SEC Form 13F-HR, filed up to 45 days after the quarter ends — they are delayed, are not real-time trades, exclude short positions and most non-US securities, and are not investment advice. Any increase/decrease is a reported change between two quarterly snapshots, not a same-day purchase or sale. These are quarter-end snapshots from the 13F filings on SEC EDGAR, filed within 45 days — not real-time, and any change is a difference between two quarterly reports, not a same-day trade. Informational only — not financial advice.
Short interest (FINRA)
WEN had 58,820,073 shares of reported short interest as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (delayed, bi-monthly; not real-time).
WEN had 30.8% of its shares outstanding sold short as of the 2026-07-31 FINRA settlement date (percent of FLOAT would be higher — float is not disclosed in the source). FINRA reported 8.46 days to cover at the same settlement.
- Reported short interest (shares) 58,820,073
- Short interest (% of shares outstanding) 30.8%
- Prior settlement (shares) 57,533,325
- Reported change 2.24%
- Days to cover (reported) 8.46
Reported to FINRA as of the 2026-07-31 settlement date. Short interest is reported to FINRA and published on a delayed, bi-monthly schedule (as of a settlement date, disseminated roughly eight business days later) — it is NOT real-time, does not cover every venue or all US trading, and is not a short-squeeze prediction or investment advice. Days-to-cover is the value FINRA reports; percent of float is not shown because the source file carries no share-count denominator — where a percent appears it is of shares OUTSTANDING, the larger base, and is therefore a floor on percent of float. Informational only — not financial advice.
Competitors & peers
- McDonald's (MCD)
- Burger King (parent company 3G Capital / Berkshire Hathaway)
- Five Guys
- The Habit Burger Grill
- In-N-Out Burger
- Shake Shack (SHAK)
- Regional independent burger chains
AI-enriched competitor set. Linked names are companies covered by stocks-llm; other named peers are shown for reference only.
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Frequently asked questions
What does Wendy's Company (The) (WEN) do?
Wendy's operates a quick-service restaurant system consisting of company-operated and franchised Wendy's restaurants. The company generates revenues from direct sales at company-operated locations, royalties and fees from franchisees, franchise rental income, and advertising fund contributions. Wendy's competes in the hamburger and fast-casual dining segments with a focus on high-quality food offerings and customer experience.
What sector is Wendy's Company (The) (WEN) in?
Wendy's Company (The) (WEN) is classified in the Consumer Discretionary sector. Its industry is Quick-service restaurant chains. It trades on NASDAQ.
Does WEN pay a dividend?
Yes — Wendy's Company (The) (WEN) pays a dividend, with an indicated yield of about 7.57% and 1-year non-decreasing per-share dividend streak (SEC EDGAR XBRL) (market data, as of 2026-08-24). Informational only — not financial advice.
Who are Wendy's Company (The)'s (WEN) competitors?
Notable peers of Wendy's Company (The) (WEN) include McDonald's, Burger King (parent company 3G Capital / Berkshire Hathaway), Five Guys, The Habit Burger Grill and In-N-Out Burger. This peer set is informational only — not financial advice.
Is Wendy's Company (The) (WEN) overbought or oversold right now?
Wendy's Company (The) (WEN) is currently neither overbought nor oversold — its 14-day RSI (a 0–100 momentum gauge) is 64, in the neutral middle (as of 2026-08-21). RSI describes recent price momentum, not a forecast — informational only, not financial advice.
Where does stocks-llm's data on WEN come from?
Fundamentals and prices come from market data, as of 2026-08-24; company filings and profile facts come from SEC EDGAR. All figures are delayed daily-close data shown with their as-of date — informational only, not financial advice.
Fundamentals: market data, as of 2026-08-24. Filings: SEC EDGAR. Prices are delayed daily-close data.
Last updated 2026-08-21.
Informational only — NOT financial advice. All figures are delayed daily-close data from SEC EDGAR & market data, shown with their as-of date.