Wendy’s Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:WEN)

12 Jan 2026, 11:50 by Teresa Graham · The Cerbat Gem

The Wendy’s Company (NASDAQ:WEN – Get Free Report) saw some unusual options trading activity on Monday. Investors purchased 20,108 put options on the stock. This is an increase of 105% compared to the typical volume of 9,818 put options.

Wendy’s Price Performance

Shares of WEN traded down $0.18 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $8.48. The stock had a trading volume of 1,538,102 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,587,518. Wendy’s has a 52 week low of $7.83 and a 52 week high of $16.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 26.89, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company has a market capitalization of $1.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 0.39. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $8.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $9.45.

Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, November 7th. The restaurant operator reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.20 by $0.04. Wendy’s had a return on equity of 125.74% and a net margin of 8.43%.The firm had revenue of $442.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $535.75 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.25 EPS. Wendy’s’s revenue was down 3.0% on a year-over-year basis. Wendy’s has set its FY 2025 guidance at 0.820-0.890 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Wendy’s will post 0.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wendy’s Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, December 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, December 1st were paid a $0.14 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Monday, December 1st. This represents a $0.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 6.6%. Wendy’s’s dividend payout ratio is 59.57%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on WEN shares. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $9.00 price objective on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Wednesday, October 22nd. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on Wendy’s from $11.00 to $9.00 and set an “in-line” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a research note on Wednesday, October 8th. BTIG Research reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Wendy’s in a report on Monday, September 15th. Finally, Zacks Research upgraded Wendy’s from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating, seventeen have assigned a Hold rating and five have given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Wendy’s has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $10.34.

Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Wendy’s

Institutional Trading of Wendy’s

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Gradient Investments LLC boosted its holdings in Wendy’s by 6.2% in the 2nd quarter. Gradient Investments LLC now owns 836,626 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $9,554,000 after purchasing an additional 48,736 shares during the period. Blueshift Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Wendy’s in the second quarter valued at about $2,428,000. Intech Investment Management LLC grew its position in Wendy’s by 398.2% during the first quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 192,177 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,812,000 after buying an additional 153,604 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Wendy’s during the second quarter valued at about $18,929,000. Finally, International Assets Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Wendy’s in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $448,000. 85.96% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wendy’s Company Profile

(Get Free Report)

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.