Wendy’s (NASDAQ:WEN), a quick-service burger chain with mostly franchised restaurants, closed at $8.66. Shares rose 14.70% on reports that Nelson Peltz’s Trian Fund Management is preparing a take-private bid. Investors are watching whether a consortium forms and whether the bid advances. Trading volume reached 44.5M shares, coming in about 148% above its three-month average of 17.9M shares
How the markets moved today
The S&P 500 (SNPINDEX:^GSPC) rose 0.27% to 7,749, while the NasdaqComposite (NASDAQINDEX:^IXIC) gained 0.54% to 26,588. Among restaurant peers, Yum! Brands (NYSE:YUM) closed at $150.35, up 3.87%, while Restaurant Brands International (NYSE:QSR) ended at $74.90, higher by 2.14%, keeping attention on franchised fast-food operations
What this means for investors
Wendy’s shares ripped higher after rumors reemerged of Nelson Peltz’s Trian Fund Management working with BlueFive Capital and Flynn Group to take the company private, just three months after this notion first surfaced. Though an offering price didn’t appear to have been set, the market pushed WEN stock higher regardless, due to a mixture of optimism about the deal and short-covering
Advertisement
Advertisement
Trian holds roughly 8% of Wendy’s shares, and Peltz holds 16%, so I’d say the potential deal is far from a long shot, especially with Wendy’s shares down 63% over the last five years. However, without a purchase price available, it is tough to say what the best move is for current investors, especially after Wendy’s recent “kitchen sink” earnings
Furthermore, Peltz previously discussed buying the company in 2022 and also said WEN stock looked cheap in February earlier this year, and a deal didn’t materialize, so we shouldn’t start counting our chickens before they hatch
Should you buy stock in Wendy’s right now?
Before you buy stock in Wendy’s, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Wendy’s wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut are built for long-term growth and could produce monster returns in the coming years
Advertisement
Advertisement
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $403,337!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,334,946!*
That performance is why people listen. With a track record of beating the S&P 500 by 4x, Stock Advisor offers a distinct advantage. Don’t miss the latest top 10 list, available with Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built for the long haul
*Stock Advisor returns as of August 12, 2026
Josh Kohn-Lindquisthas no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Restaurant Brands International and Yum! Brands. The Motley Fool has adisclosure policy
Advertisement
Advertisement
Stock Market Today, Aug. 12: Wendy’s Surges 15% on Take-Private Bid Report was originally published by The Motley Fool
