Wendy’s(WEN) Prnewswire·2025-02-13 12:00Core Insights - The Wendy's Company reported strong fourth quarter performance, achieving its 14th consecutive year of global same-restaurant sales growth [1][5] Financial Highlights - Fourth quarter total revenues reached 459.3 million, also reflecting a 6.4% increase [5][6] - Full year total revenues were 1.8 billion, marking a 2.0% increase [5][6] - Net income for the fourth quarter was 137.5 million, an increase of 8.6% [5][6] - Full year net income was 543.6 million, an increase of 1.4% [5][6] Sales Performance - Systemwide sales grew 5.4% in the fourth quarter, reaching 14.5 billion, with same-restaurant sales growth of 1.5% [5][6] - U.S. same-restaurant sales growth for the fourth quarter was 4.1%, compared to 0.9% in the previous year [4][5] - International same-restaurant sales growth was 4.9% in the fourth quarter, up from 4.3% [4][5] Operational Highlights - The company opened 36 new restaurants in the U.S. during the fourth quarter, while closing 78, resulting in a net decrease [4][5] - Internationally, 77 new restaurants were opened, with a net increase of 26 [4][5] - The global restaurant count remained stable at 7,240 by the end of the year [4][5] Capital Allocation and Shareholder Returns - The company updated its capital allocation policy, targeting a dividend payout ratio of 50% to 60% of adjusted earnings [5][26] - Plans to repurchase up to 0.25 per share was declared, payable on March 17, 2025 [5][24] Future Outlook - The company expects global systemwide sales growth of 2.0% to 3.0% for 2025 [34] - Adjusted earnings per share are projected to be between 1.02, with adjusted EBITDA expected to be between 560 million [34]