WEN (The Wendy's Co) Moat Score : 5/10 (As of Jul. 23, 2025)

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What is The Wendy's Co Moat Score?

The Wendy's Co has the Moat Score of 5, which implies that the company might have Narrow Moat - Solid narrow moat.

The Wendy's Co has Narrow Moat: Wendy's has a solid narrow moat due to its strong brand and customer loyalty in the fast-food industry. While it benefits from economies of scale and a robust distribution network, it faces intense competition from larger rivals like McDonald's, limiting its pricing power and market share.

Moat Score is a ranking system developed by GuruFocus to assess a company's ability to sustain a competitive advantage, rated on a scale from 0 to 10. It takes into account key factors such as market leadership, cost advantages, network effects, customer switching costs, and more.

The company's Moat Score is based on these criteria:

1. Market leadership and sustainable market share
2. Network effects and significant customer switching costs
3. Valuable intellectual property and patents
4. Strong brand strength and deep customer loyalty
5. Durable cost advantages (e.g., economies of scale, proprietary technology)
6. Significant regulatory barriers and exclusive licenses
7. Superior distribution network
8. Strong and sustainable pricing power
9. Consistent and impactful innovation and R&D capabilities

Based on the research, GuruFocus believes The Wendy's Co might have Narrow Moat - Solid narrow moat.

Competitive Comparison of The Wendy's Co's Moat Score

For the Restaurants subindustry, The Wendy's Co's Moat Score, along with its competitors' market caps and Moat Score data, can be viewed below:

* Competitive companies are chosen from companies within the same industry, with headquarter located in same country, with closest market capitalization; x-axis shows the market cap, and y-axis shows the term value; the bigger the dot, the larger the market cap. Note that "N/A" values will not show up in the chart.

The Wendy's Co's Moat Score Distribution in the Restaurants Industry

For the Restaurants industry and Consumer Cyclical sector, The Wendy's Co's Moat Score distribution charts can be found below:

* The bar in red indicates where The Wendy's Co's Moat Score falls into.

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The Wendy's Co (NAS:WEN) Moat Score Explanation

The Moat Score ranges from 0 to 10, with 10 as the highest. GuruFocus divided Moat Score into following 8 categories:

Moat Score	Moat Level
10	Wide Moat - Exceptionally dominant and durable wide moat
8 - 9	Wide Moat - Clear and robust wide moat
7	Wide Moat - Entry-level wide moat, clearly possessing durable advantages
6	Narrow Moat - Strong narrow moat, clearly distinguishable but not wide
5	Narrow Moat - Solid narrow moat
4	Narrow Moat - Discernible but modest moat
1 - 3	No Moat - Very weak/transient advantages
0	No Moat - No discernible moat

The Wendy's Co Moat Score Related Terms

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The Wendy's Co Business Description

Industry

GURUFOCUS.COM » STOCK LIST » Consumer Cyclical » Restaurants » The Wendy's Co (NAS:WEN) » Definitions » Moat Score

Comparable Companies

Traded in Other Exchanges

TQK:Germany TQK:Germany

Address

One Dave Thomas Boulevard, Dublin, OH, USA, 43017

Website

https://www.wendys.com

The Wendy's Company is the second-largest burger quick-service restaurant, or QSR, chain in the United States by systemwide sales, with $12.6 billion in 2024, narrowly edging Burger King ($11.5 billion) and clocking in well behind wide-moat McDonald's ($51.1 billion). After divestitures of Tim Hortons (2006) and Arby's (2011), the firm manages just the burger banner, generating sales across a footprint that spanned more than 7,200 total stores in 30 countries as of year-end 2024. Wendy's generates revenue from the sale of hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, salads, and fries throughout its company-owned footprint, through franchise royalty and marketing fund payments remitted by its franchisees, which account for roughly 94% of stores, and through franchise flipping and advisory fees.

Executives

O'brien Matthew Coley	officer: Chief People Officer	ONE DAVE THOMAS BLVD., DUBLIN OH 43017
Abigail E. Pringle	officer: Pres Intl & Chf Developmnt Ofc	ONE DAVE THOMAS BLVD., DUBLIN OH 43017
Kenneth W Gilbert	director	C/O THE WENDY'S COMPANY, ONE DAVE THOMAS BLVD., DUBLIN OH 43017
Mich J Mathews-spradlin	director	ONE DAVE THOMAS BLVD., DUBLIN OH 43017
Liliana Esposito	officer: Chief Communications Officer	ONE DAVE THOMAS BLVD., DUBLIN OH 43017
Trian Fund Management, L.p.	other: Schedule 13D Filer	280 PARK AVENUE, 41ST FLOOR, NEW YORK NY 10017
Kristin A Dolan	director	C/O MSG TWO PENN PLAZA, 26TH FLOOR, NEW YORK NY 10121
Juan Carlos Loredo	officer: Global Chief Marketing Officer	C/O THE WENDY'S COMPANY, ONE DAVE THOMAS BLVD., DUBLIN OH 43017
Joseph A Levato	director	C/O THE WENDY'S COMPANY, ONE DAVE THOMAS BLVD., DUBLIN OH 43017
Michelle Caruso-cabrera	director	C/O THE WENDY'S COMPANY, ONE DAVE THOMAS BLVD., DUBLIN OH 43017
Nelson Peltz	director, 10 percent owner, officer: Chairman and CEO	223 SUNSET AVENUE, PALM BEACH FL 33480
Edward P Garden	officer: Executive Vice President	223 SUNSET AVENUE, PALM BEACH FL 33480
Peter W May	director, 10 percent owner, officer: President and COO	223 SUNSET AVENUE, PALM BEACH FL 33480
Matthew H. Peltz	director	280 PARK AVENUE, 41ST FLOOR, NEW YORK NY 10017
Trian Partners Master Fund, L.p.	other: Schedule 13D Filer	280 PARK AVENUE, 41ST FLOOR, NEW YORK NY 10017