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Wendy's (WEN) Reports Q4 Earnings: What Key Metrics Have to Say

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Wendy's (WEN - Free Report) reported $540.65 million in revenue for the quarter ended December 2023, representing a year-over-year increase of 0.8%. EPS of $0.21 for the same period compares to $0.22 a year ago.

The reported revenue represents a surprise of -1.09% over the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $546.61 million. With the consensus EPS estimate being $0.23, the EPS surprise was -8.70%.

While investors scrutinize revenue and earnings changes year-over-year and how they compare with Wall Street expectations to determine their next move, some key metrics always offer a more accurate picture of a company's financial health.

As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.

Here is how Wendy's performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:

  • Same-Restaurant - U.S. 0.9% compared to the 1.6% average estimate based on 10 analysts.
  • Same-Restaurant - International: 4.3% compared to the 5.2% average estimate based on eight analysts.
  • Global same-restaurant sales - Systemwide - YoY change: 3.2% compared to the 2.1% average estimate based on six analysts.
  • Systemwide sales - U.S. systemwide: $3.04 billion versus the four-analyst average estimate of $3.12 billion.
  • Revenues- Advertising funds: $108.90 million versus $109.08 million estimated by 10 analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +3.5% change.
  • Revenues- Sales at Company-operated restaurants: $226.73 million compared to the $231.16 million average estimate based on 10 analysts. The reported number represents a change of -0.4% year over year.
  • Revenues- Franchise royalty: $127.79 million versus $147.72 million estimated by eight analysts on average. Compared to the year-ago quarter, this number represents a +2.9% change.
  • Revenues- Franchise rental income: $56.76 million compared to the $59.15 million average estimate based on eight analysts. The reported number represents a change of -4.6% year over year.
  • Revenues- Franchise fees: $20.47 million compared to the $18.08 million average estimate based on five analysts.
  • Systemwide Sales- International: $455 million versus the four-analyst average estimate of $458.35 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +9.9%.
View all Key Company Metrics for Wendy's here>>>

Shares of Wendy's have returned +1% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +4.6% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), indicating that it could perform in line with the broader market in the near term.

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