It looks like those upbeat same-store sales estimates last month were on to something. The shares of Wendy's Company (NASDAQ:WEN) are up 4.5% in electronic trading this morning, after the fast-food chain reported third-quarter adjusted earnings and revenue that topped analysts' expectations. Wendy's also upped its full-year earnings growth guidance thanks to a strong comparable sales performance in North America.
Heading into today, Wendy's stock was down 1.6% in November. However, this short-lived pullback found support near the shares' 80-day moving average, a trendline that contained dips in September and October. Year-to-date, WEN is up 33.5% through Tuesday's close at $20.84, and today's projected pop could have it taking aim at its Sept. 6 record high of $22.84.
So far, not a single analyst has come forward with any sort of bull note, which is surprising considering 11 of the 17 in coverage rate WEN a tepid "hold." Plus, the consensus 12-month price target of $22.15 is a slim 6.3% premium to last night's close.
Long calls have been in favor in the options pits, though. In the last 10 days, 4,471 calls were bought to open at the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Cboe Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX), compared to 1,163 puts. The resultant call/put volume ratio of 3.84 ranks in the 64th percentile of its annual range, indicating calls have been bought to open over puts at a quicker-than-usual clip in the last two weeks.