Wendy's '4 for $4' a Hit, McDonald's Promo May Be Next

Wendy's stock has gained over 5% in the last month, closing yesterday at $9.63 per share.
By The Fly Staff ,

An analyst at Citi believes Wendy's (WEN) - Get Report has seen strong results from its ongoing "4 for $4" promotion, prompting him to add the stock to the firm's Focus List and predict that the company's same-store sales growth this quarter will beat expectations.

4 FOR $4: Under an ongoing promotion that was launched in October, Wendy's offers a junior bacon cheeseburger, four piece chicken nuggets, fries, and a drink for $4. Citi analyst Gregory Badishkanian told investors in a research note this morning that his analysis and talks with those in the fast-food industry suggest that the promotion continues to drive strong results, leading to a rise in transactions at Wendy's with little to no impact on restaurants' average check total. Badishkanian predicts Wendy's will post fourth quarter same-store sales growth of at least 4%, versus the First Call consensus forecast of 2.7% and the 3.3% growth implied by the high-end of the company's fiscal year guidance.

INDUSTRY VALUE FOCUS: Wendy's management has emphasized value offerings recently, but other quick service restaurant peers are also increasing their focus on value, Badishkanian noted. The analyst sees a good chance that McDonald's (MCD) - Get Report will roll-out a "2 for $2" promotion soon, which he believes could have a "modest" impact on Wendy's, but more of an impact on Restaurant Brands' (QSR) Burger King. Badishkanian predicts McDonald's same-store sales growth should accelerate further in the fourth quarter, but not at the expense of Wendy's. He keeps a Buy rating on Wendy's shares with an $11 price target.

WHAT'S NOTABLE: Yum! Brands (YUM), which also competes in the quick service food space with its KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands, is rallying this morning after reporting last night that its China division's same-store sales grew an estimated 5% in October.

PRICE ACTION: Wendy's stock has gained over 5% in the last month, closing yesterday at $9.63 per share. In that same period, McDonald's shares have risen over 8% while Restaurant Brands has declined 3%.

Reporting by Jason Keil.

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