Moody's Corporation vs Wendys Co — how do they compare? Moody's Corporation trades at $476.25 (market cap $82.52B), while Wendys Co trades at $8.4 (market cap $1.44B). The key difference: Moody's Corporation is far larger — about 57.3× Wendys Co's market cap, and Wendys Co pays the higher dividend (3.71%). Which is the better fit depends on your goals.
| MCO | WEN | |
|---|---|---|
Market Cap | $82.52B | $1.44B |
Sector | Financials | Consumer Cyclical |
52-Week High | $539.61 | $10.68 |
52-Week Low | $412.23 | $6.17 |
Enterprise Value | $88.54B | $5.17B |
Dividend Yield | 0.86% | 3.71% |
Signals from Pluang's Aura AI — not financial advice
Moody's Corporation (MCO) trades at $478.14, showing modest daily gains of 0.08%. The stock demonstrates strong fundamental performance with consistent earnings beats and robust profitability metrics, including 34.25% net income margin and 80.15% ROE. Recent Q2 2026 results exceeded expectations with $4.68 EPS versus $4.26 expected, driven by strong analytics demand and debt issuance activity. Technical indicators remain neutral with support at $475 and resistance at $481.
MCO presents a compelling growth story with premium valuation justified by exceptional profitability and market leadership. The primary investment opportunity lies in sustained analytics growth and credit rating dominance, while risks include valuation sensitivity and potential debt market volatility. Analyst consensus remains bullish with $561.88 price target representing 17.5% upside potential from current levels.
Wendy's stock (WEN) trades at $7.30, down 5.07% amid significant operational challenges. The company faces declining U.S. traffic, a 50% dividend cut, and loss of its position as America's second-largest burger chain to Burger King. Despite beating Q2 2026 EPS estimates ($0.18 vs. $0.16 expected), revenue trends remain weak with profit margins contracting from 7.58% in 2025 to 5.72% projected for 2026. Technical indicators show bearish momentum with key support at $7.00.
The outlook remains challenging as new CEO Bob Wright implements a turnaround strategy. While valuation appears reasonable (P/E 11.44, P/S 0.65), execution risks are elevated given competitive pressures and $2.66 billion debt load. Analyst sentiment is mixed with 62.75% hold ratings, reflecting uncertainty about the company's ability to regain market share and improve franchisee economics.
Trailing returns across standard periods
Latest headlines on both assets
Moody's, along with S&P Ratings, is a leading provider of credit ratings on fixed income securities. Moody's ratings segment, known as Moody's Investors Service or MIS, includes corporates, structured finance, financial institutions, and public finance ratings. MIS represents a majority of the firm's revenue and profits. Moody's other segment is Moody's Analytics and consists of Research, Data, and Analytics or RD&A and Enterprise Risk Solutions or ERS. RD&A's products include credit research, quantitative credit scores, economic research, business intelligence, know your customer (KYC) tools, commercial real estate data and analytical tools, and training services. ERS includes risk management software solutions to financial institutions.
Read more on MCO →The Wendy's Company is the second-largest burger quick-service restaurant, or QSR, chain in the United States by systemwide sales, with $11.1 billion in 2021, narrowly edging Burger King ($10.3 billion) and clocking in well behind wide-moat McDonald's ($45.7 billion). After divestitures of Tim Hortons (2006) and Arby's (2011), the firm manages just the burger banner, generating sales across a footprint that spans almost 7,000 total units in 30 countries. 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 94% of stores, and through franchise flipping and advisory fees.
Read more on WEN →