Wendy’s stock rode a wave of meme stock volatility last week. Now analysts are making a case for the stock—one that doesn’t involve Reddit comments.
Wendy’s stock (ticker: WEN) was up 1.5% to $24.50 on Monday. Shares soared to a close of $28.87 last Tuesday, but pulled back through the tail end of the week. In between, speculation swirled that the company was caught in a broader market fascination with meme stocks.
Piper Sandler analyst Nicole Miller Regan wrote in a note on Sunday that she’s seeing increasing momentum for Wendy’s. The analyst estimates May same-store-sales growth in the mid teens, pointing to menu innovation efforts and its app and related loyalty program.
“The company is continuing to drive awareness and usage of the new breakfast daypart, drive digital sales, and capture an increasing percentage of sales as consumer mobility rebounds via new product news and strong store-level operational execution,” the analyst wrote.
The note did not reference meme stock speculation. Unlike more popular meme stocks GameStop(GME) and AMC Entertainment(AMC), Wendy’s does not have an excessive short interest. It also was solidly liked by Wall Street analysts. Of the 27 analysts listed by FactSet, 15 have Buy ratings.
Some speculated that Wall Street pros tracking ticker mentions in Reddit threads may have been bamboozled by the phrase “Wen moon?” or “Wen rich?” which are winking references to the notion that Reddit users are “dumb money” wondering when their latest stock will take off,according to MarketWatch. “WEN” is also the ticker for Wendy’s.
Regardless, the Piper Sandler analyst views the balance sheet and efforts to pay down debt and repurchase shares positively. She reiterated an Overweight rating and $27 price target, arguing the stock’s recent levels appear to be a decent entry point.
“Over time, the company is positioned to leverage its technology and mobile ordering platforms (as a complement to mobile/grab-and-go and curbsidedelivery functions, as an example) while also working to deliver a series of increasingly personalized communications and offers to its growing base of guests within its recently launched loyalty program (which include 13 million total and 3 million active members as of the 1Q21 period),” she added.
Also on Monday, Northcoast analyst Jim Sanderson upgraded the stock to Buy from Neutral with a $30 price target, according to Bloomberg.
The mean analyst price target for Wendy’s is $26.15, according to FactSet. Meme or not, analysts still see upside.