Truist Securities lowers Wendy’s stock price target to $13 on sales pressure

Published 11/08/2025, 12:04
Truist Securities lowers Wendy’s stock price target to $13 on sales pressure

Investing.com - Truist Securities has lowered its price target on Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN) to $13.00 from $14.00 while maintaining a Buy rating following the fast-food chain’s second-quarter 2025 results. The stock, currently trading at $10.09, has declined 27.49% over the past six months and sits near its 52-week low of $9.74. According to InvestingPro analysis, Wendy’s appears slightly undervalued at current levels.

The price target reduction comes after Wendy’s reported same-store sales that missed consensus expectations, though the company did deliver an EBITDA beat of $518 million. Management also lowered its guidance for the remainder of the year. Despite the challenges, Wendy’s maintains a strong dividend yield of 5.55% and has consistently paid dividends for 23 consecutive years. Get access to more exclusive insights with InvestingPro, which offers 8 additional key tips about Wendy’s performance.

Truist Securities attributes Wendy’s sales pressure to a combination of marketing and innovation missteps alongside a challenging macroeconomic environment. Despite these headwinds, the firm maintains its Buy rating on the stock.

The research firm noted several positive developments, including Wendy’s focus on improving operations, which has resulted in rising guest satisfaction scores. The company’s FreshAi technology platform has begun driving sales, and Truist Securities also highlighted progress in restaurant development.

With investor sentiment and valuation at very low levels, including a free cash flow yield of approximately 9%, Truist believes any positive news such as the appointment of a permanent CEO or successful marketing initiatives could drive significant upside for the stock. Trading at a P/E ratio of 10.51x, the stock has attracted attention from analysts, though 17 have recently revised their earnings expectations downward. Discover comprehensive analysis and detailed valuation metrics with InvestingPro’s exclusive research report.

In other recent news, Wendy’s has faced a series of analyst downgrades following its second-quarter earnings report. Despite reporting earnings per share of $0.29, which surpassed consensus estimates by $0.04 due to favorable general and administrative expenses, the fast-food chain’s comparable store sales did not meet expectations. BMO Capital lowered its price target for Wendy’s to $12, maintaining a Market Perform rating. Similarly, Evercore ISI reduced its price target to $12, citing concerns about profitability and a high debt-to-EBITDA ratio. Barclays (LON:BARC) also adjusted its price target downward to $11, pointing to ongoing challenges and continued headwinds for the company. JPMorgan, while maintaining an Overweight rating, revised its price target to $13, noting a weaker outlook and declining U.S. same-store sales. BTIG reiterated a Neutral rating, acknowledging the difficult quarter but indicating that the results were not unexpected given broader industry trends. These developments highlight the challenges Wendy’s is currently facing in the competitive fast-food market.

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