JPMorgan lowers Wendy’s stock price target to $13 on weaker outlook

Published 11/08/2025, 11:48
JPMorgan lowers Wendy’s stock price target to $13 on weaker outlook

Investing.com - JPMorgan has reduced its price target on Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) to $13.00 from $15.00 while maintaining an Overweight rating on the stock. The fast-food chain currently trades at $10.09, near its 52-week low of $9.74, having declined over 27% in the past six months. According to InvestingPro data, the stock offers a substantial 5.55% dividend yield and has maintained dividend payments for 23 consecutive years.

The adjustment follows challenged results and a deteriorating outlook for the fast-food chain, with U.S. same-store sales declining 3.6% in the second quarter compared to JPMorgan’s estimate of -4.2%, but worse than the -2.4% forecast at the time of the firm’s May 5 upgrade. InvestingPro analysis shows 17 analysts have recently revised their earnings expectations downward, suggesting continued near-term pressure.

Wendy’s has revised its second-half 2025 U.S. comparable sales forecast to -5.6%, significantly lower than the previous -2.4% projection, signaling continued pressure on the business.

JPMorgan’s investment thesis remains focused on Wendy’s as a value-oriented opportunity, supported by projected free cash flow yields of 6.6% for fiscal 2026 and 8.4% for fiscal 2027, after excluding company-funded franchisee new unit development from fiscal 2027 onward.

The revised fiscal 2025 outlook implies a significant slowdown in the second half of 2025, with adjusted EBITDA of approximately $245 million versus the previous estimate of $270 million, and earnings per share of roughly $0.37 compared to the earlier projection of $0.49.

In other recent news, Wendy’s reported its second-quarter 2025 earnings, with earnings per share reaching $0.29, surpassing consensus estimates by $0.04 due to favorable general and administrative expenses. However, the company’s comparable store sales did not meet expectations. Multiple analyst firms have adjusted their outlooks for Wendy’s stock. BMO Capital lowered its price target from $15 to $12, maintaining a Market Perform rating, following the earnings report. Evercore ISI also reduced its price target to $12 from $14, citing concerns over systemwide cash flow and balance sheet issues, including a debt-to-EBITDA ratio of approximately 5.9x for 2025 estimates. Barclays (LON:BARC) decreased its price target to $11 from $13, pointing to ongoing challenges and a slowdown in July sales. TD Cowen echoed this sentiment, lowering its target to $11 from $13, while maintaining a Hold rating, due to a tough industry environment and challenging year-over-year comparisons. BTIG reiterated its Neutral rating amid what it described as a challenging quarter for the company.

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