Is Wendy's stock (WEN) undervalued?

On the numbers, Wendy's trades around 8.8x trailing earnings and ~10.7x EV/EBITDA, versus roughly 17–23x for peers such as McDonald's, Yum Brands and Restaurant Brands. As a ~95% franchised royalty business, that is a steep discount to comparable franchise models. Independent discounted-cash-flow estimates land near $9.91–$11.60. The market appears to be pricing the current US same-restaurant-sales trough as permanent. This is opinion, not investment advice.

What is Wendy's dividend yield, and is the dividend safe?

Wendy's pays roughly $0.56 per share annually, a yield of about 8% at recent prices. The dividend was cut 44% in 2025 and reset to a 50–60% payout target, which is why the current level is considered covered — it is supported by both 2026 EPS guidance ($0.56–0.60) and free cash flow ($190–205M). Opinion, not advice.

What is Wendy's FreshAI drive-thru?

FreshAI is Wendy's generative-AI drive-thru system, built on Google Cloud, that takes orders at the drive-thru — which represents 75–80% of Wendy's orders. Management has credited it with roughly 80 basis points of company-margin uplift and a higher average check. Wendy's stopped publishing unit-count disclosures after Q1 2025, so the scale of the benefit is best treated as optionality rather than a confirmed figure.

Why is short interest in Wendy's (WEN) so high?

Depending on the data provider, roughly 23% to 34% of Wendy's float is sold short, with borrow utilization near 92%. High short interest reflects bearish positioning around five straight quarters of negative US comparable sales and elevated leverage. Because so few shares are available to borrow, a positive catalyst can force short sellers to buy back into thin supply. Figures describe public positioning, not wrongdoing, and nothing here is a recommendation to trade.

Are Trian and Nelson Peltz trying to take Wendy's private?

Trian Partners and the Peltz family own approximately 16% of Wendy's and have anchored the position since 2005. Reporting in May 2026 indicated Trian discussed take-private financing with outside investors, including Middle East capital, against a market capitalization of roughly $1.2–1.3B. No formal offer has been made, so this is best treated as optionality rather than a base case.

What is the bear case against Wendy's stock?

The bear case centers on five straight quarters of falling US same-restaurant sales (Q1 2026 down 7.8%), net leverage near 4.8x with notes refinanced at 5.4%, 2026 adjusted EBITDA guided below 2025 ($460–480M vs $522M), pockets of franchisee financial pressure, intense value competition from McDonald's and Taco Bell, and reduced disclosure around FreshAI. Until US comps inflect, the bull case remains a thesis rather than a trend.

Wendy's › indiana

Wendy's in indiana

Anderson4 Angola1 Auburn1 Avon1 Batesville1 Bedford1 Bloomington4 Bluffton1 Brownsburg1 Camby1 Carmel1 Chesterton1 Clarksville1 Columbia City1 Columbus2 Connersville1 Corydon1 Crawfordsville1 Crown Point2 Dale1 Daleville1 Decatur1 Demotte1 Dyer1 East Chicago1 Elkhart4 Elwood1 Evansville3 Fishers3 Fort Wayne6 Frankfort1 Franklin1 Fremont1 Goshen1 Greencastle1 Greenfield2 Greensburg1 Greenwood2 Griffith1 Hammond2 Haubstadt1 Hebron1 Highland1 Hobart1 Huntington1 Indianapolis19 Jasper1 Jeffersonville1 Kendallville1 Kokomo4 La Porte1 Lafayette3 Lake Station1 Lawrence1 Lawrenceburg1 Lebanon1 Linton1 Logansport1 Madison1 Marion3 Martinsville1 Merrillville1 Michigan City1 Mishawaka4 Mitchell1 Monticello1 Mooresville1 Muncie3 Munster1 New Albany1 New Castle1 Noblesville1 North Vernon1 Paoli1 Pendleton1 Peru1 Plainfield1 Plymouth1 Portage3 Portland1 Richmond2 Rochester1 Rockport1 Rushville1 Saint John1 Salem1 Seymour1 Shelbyville2 South Bend1 Spencer1 Tell City1 Terre Haute2 Valparaiso2 Vincennes1 Wabash1 Warsaw1 Washington1 West Lafayette2 Westfield2 Whitestown1