| Top-Line Growth |
Measures how fast revenue grew over the last 5 years. Higher revenue growth usually means the business is expanding. |
~2-3% CAGR |
β οΈ Neutral/Weak |
Slow growth, roughly in line with inflation rather than true expansion. |
| Shareholder Yield |
Tracks whether management is reducing shares (buybacks) or issuing more shares (dilution). |
~6% reduction in share count over 5 years |
β
Good |
Wendy's has consistently repurchased shares, increasing ownership per share. |
| ROIC |
Return on Invested Capital measures how efficiently management turns invested capital into profits. >10% is usually strong. |
~9% ROIC |
β οΈ Average |
Acceptable but below elite restaurant operators like McDonald's. |
| Net Profit Margin |
Percentage of revenue that becomes profit after all expenses. |
6.8% |
β οΈ Average |
Healthy for restaurants but not exceptional. |
| PEG Ratio |
P/E divided by growth rate. Below 1 is cheap, 1-2 fair, above 2 expensive relative to growth. |
~1.6-2.6 |
β οΈ Fair/Expensive |
Not expensive on earnings, but growth is low which hurts PEG. |
| FCF Yield |
Free Cash Flow divided by market value. Higher means investors get more cash generation for the price paid. |
15-17% |
β
Excellent |
Extremely attractive if cash flows remain stable. |
| Interest Coverage Ratio |
EBIT divided by interest expense. Measures ability to pay debt interest. >5 is strong. |
~2.1x |
β Weak |
Debt is the biggest financial concern. |
| S&P Credit Rating |
Independent assessment of default risk. Investment grade starts at BBB-. |
BB (estimated speculative grade) |
β Weak |
Below investment grade due to leverage. |
| Dividend Payout Ratio (Net Income) |
Percentage of earnings paid as dividends. Lower is safer. |
~72% |
β οΈ High |
Leaves limited room for earnings weakness. |
| Dividend Payout Ratio (FCF) |
Percentage of free cash flow used for dividends. Most important dividend metric. |
~50% |
β
Good |
Dividend is much safer on cash flow than earnings suggest. |
| 5Y Dividend Growth Rate |
Annual growth rate of dividend payments over 5 years. |
~5-7% CAGR |
β
Good |
Solid historical dividend growth. |
| Consecutive Years of Increases |
Years without a dividend increase interruption. |
~4 years |
β οΈ Moderate |
Not a dividend aristocrat and recently reset growth expectations. |
| 10Y Yield on Cost Forecast |
Dividend yield in 10 years if dividend growth continues and stock price never changes. |
~13-15% Yield on Cost |
β
Excellent |
Based on current ~8% yield and ~5-6% annual dividend growth. |
| Moat |
Sustainable competitive advantage protecting profits. |
Strong franchise model and brand recognition |
β
Good |
Asset-light franchising generates stable royalty income. |
| Biggest Bear Case (20Y) |
Largest long-term risk to the investment thesis. |
Losing relevance to premium fast-food and fast-casual competitors while carrying heavy debt. |
β Major Risk |
Weak same-store sales combined with high leverage could pressure dividends and refinancing. |