The Wendy's Company (WEN)
NASDAQConsumer DiscretionaryRestaurantsSnapshot 2026-10-16
$6.700.00%
Close 2026-10-16 · 1-day change
NASDAQConsumer DiscretionaryRestaurantsSnapshot 2026-10-16
Research Workspace
Put WEN beside peers and holdings, graph the same metric, and keep your notes with the evidence.
Daily closes. Earnings/event dots are placed inline.
Industries move in repeating boom-and-bust cycles. This shows where this stock’s industry sits in that cycle, stage by stage (recovery → expansion → supercycle → steady → deceleration → contraction), from its fundamentals (orders, revenue, capital spending), not the stock’s price.
A booming industry is a tailwind for the names in it; a contracting one is a headwind. Companies in the same industry tend to rise and fall together with the cycle, the way a tide lifts and lowers every boat in the harbor at once, so a large part of a stock’s swing can come from where its industry sits rather than from the company itself. It’s context for reading the company’s results, not a buy/sell call. Full explanation →
Restaurants is in steady. Describes the industry's cycle state, not a call on this stock.
The stage band shows the industry’s cycle over the chart’s timeline (each color a stage); a ▼ marks a quarter its growth inflected down — amber is an unconfirmed watch, red is confirmed the next quarter. Use “Overlay cycle on chart” to tint the price chart by stage. The industry’s fundamentals, not a signal on this stock.
Primary pillar broken — Operating profit and net income improve toward prior levels: Direct metric needs a verified mapping.
View ThesisExpectations look reasonable — what the market is pricing in sits in line with or below what analysts forecast.
View ValuationThis stock is volatile — it swings about 2% on a typical day and fell roughly 33% in its worst 12-month stretch.
View RiskWendy’s case rests on a turnaround, but recent revenue growth slowed and earnings results conflicted. Revenue grew 3.3% year over year in Q1, which missed earnings estimates. Q2 earnings beat estimates by 12.5%, though revenue growth was not reported. WEN trades at 9.2 times P/E versus peers at 14.4 times. The price reflects less growth than our forecast, despite the peer valuation gap. Meritage’s bankruptcy puts franchise rights and Wendy’s $146.9 million claims at risk. Our model puts next-quarter miss probability at 34%. Peer multiples imply a price about 48% above where it trades. The thesis has broken because its operating-profit and net-income pillar is impaired. This read is provisional.
Trailing returns as of 2026-10-16. WEN is total return (includes dividends); the S&P 500 benchmark is price return (the index excludes dividends).
Based on 24 analysts currently covering WEN (as of Oct 2026).
Based on 3 Wall Street analysts offering 12-month price targets for WEN in the last 4 months.
Continue this research
Compare WEN with peers and holdings, graph the same reported metric, keep your questions beside the evidence, and return when the facts change.
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| Compare | Company | Living FV | P/E | Revenue % | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WEN Selected company | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Peer Add a competitor | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review | |
| Holding Compare a holding | Graph | Compare | Trend | Review |
Selected metric trend
Quarterly · checked companies · value or % of revenue
A consensus fair price across 9 valuation methods, at three horizons. As of 2026-10-16. Estimates are diagnostics, not price targets. Short-horizon estimates are close to coin-flips, so confidence is a method-agreement read, not a prediction.
Today's peer multiple on trailing earnings, with no growth credited. This is the headline read.
Adds projected growth, so it leans optimistic by design. Read it as upside context, not a base case.
A price-focused, side-by-side fair-value read versus Restaurants — fair value, gap to price, and forward P/E.
Our valuation methods disagree too much on this name right now. Rather than print a number we don't believe, we're holding it back until they converge.
Compare the value case
Put WEN next to peers and holdings, compare Living FV and multiples, then graph the driver behind the difference.
Threatens: Execute comprehensive turnaround plan focusing on menu, marketing, operations
Store closures hinder turnaround plan execution.
Not investment advice. Scores describe historical and current data; they are not forecasts of future returns. Consult a licensed advisor before making investment decisions.
End-of-day figures as of 2026-10-16. EPS is implied from price ÷ P/E. Not investment advice.
Current $6.70
The last 12 months of price, then the range of analyst 12-month targets from today’s $6.70.
Analyst ratings and price targets are third-party Wall Street estimates, not QuarterlyIQ’s view. Not investment advice.
A long-thesis check that carries the widest uncertainty of the three horizons.
Threatens: Execute comprehensive turnaround plan focusing on menu, marketing, operations
Potential closures impact growth strategy.
Threatens: Strengthen franchisee profitability and operational excellence
Franchisee issues could hinder operational excellence and profitability.
Threatens: Strengthen franchisee profitability and operational excellence
Store closures threaten franchisee profitability and operational excellence.
Threatens: Strengthen franchisee profitability and operational excellence
Store closures threaten franchisee profitability and operational excellence.
Threatens: Maintain capital allocation flexibility including dividend reduction
Dividend concerns may affect capital allocation flexibility.
Threatens: Strengthen franchisee profitability and operational excellence
Franchisee bankruptcy threatens operational excellence and profitability.
Threatens: Strengthen franchisee profitability and operational excellence
Franchisee bankruptcy undermines operational excellence and profitability.
