Information in Investor’s Business Daily is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as an offer, recommendation, solicitation, or rating to buy or sell securities. The information has been obtained from sources we believe to be reliable, but we make no guarantee as to its accuracy, timeliness, or suitability, including with respect to information that appears in closed captioning. Historical investment performances are no indication or guarantee of future success or performance. Authors/presenters may own the stocks they discuss. We make no representations or warranties regarding the advisability of investing in any particular securities or utilizing any specific investment strategies. Information is subject to change without notice. For information on use of our services, please see our Terms of Use.
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A group of investors led by Nelson Peltz’s Trian Fund Management has offered $1.4 billion to buy Wendy’s , according to a regulatory filing Wednesday.
The group has offered $7.35 per share in cash to take the burger chain private, paying a 20% premium to Tuesday’s closing price. In addition to Trian, it includes investment firms BlueFive Capital and Sixth Street Partners, plus Flynn Group, one of Wendy’s largest franchisees.
Wendy’s shares spiked about 15% in morning trading following the offer. The Wall Street Journal first reported Peltz’s proposal.
Wendy’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment from CNBC. Trian declined to comment beyond the filing.
The take-private deal offer comes after a tough two-year stretch for the burger chain. Wendy’s stock has tumbled 65% over that period, including Wednesday’s gains. For six straight quarters, the company has reported same-store sales declines.
Wendy’s is scheduled to report its third-quarter earnings before the bell on Nov. 5.
Wendy’s challenges have made the company a cheaper acquisition target for Peltz, whose history with the brand dates back to an activist campaign he led more than two decades ago.
Budget-conscious diners have been eating out less often, and Wendy’s and its rivals have leaned into discounts to lure consumers into restaurants. Wendy’s has also dealt with a revolving door of chief executives, who have had different ideas about turnaround strategies for the struggling chain.
“In our view, a take private makes sense as Wendy’s turnaround is likely to be prolonged given the challenged state of the lower income consumer and soft state of the quick service burger category,” TD Cowen analyst Andrew Charles wrote in a note to clients on Wednesday.
In May, former Potbelly CEO Bob Wright joined Wendy’s as its latest chief executive, after his former employer went private. In his first earnings conference call with analysts in August, he was candid about what he views as the chain’s biggest issues, like muddled value offerings, inconsistent execution at its restaurants and too many one-off promotions.

Information in Investor’s Business Daily is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as an offer, recommendation, solicitation, or rating to buy or sell securities. The information has been obtained from sources we believe to be reliable, but we make no guarantee as to its accuracy, timeliness, or suitability, including with respect to information that appears in closed captioning. Historical investment performances are no indication or guarantee of future success or performance. Authors/presenters may own the stocks they discuss. We make no representations or warranties regarding the advisability of investing in any particular securities or utilizing any specific investment strategies. Information is subject to change without notice. For information on use of our services, please see our Terms of Use.
*Real-time prices by Nasdaq Last Sale. Real-time quote and/or trade prices are not sourced from all markets. Ownership data provided by LSEG and Estimate data provided by FactSet.
IBD, IBD Digital, IBD Live, IBD Weekly, Investor’s Business Daily, Leaderboard, MarketDiem, MarketSurge and other marks are trademarks owned by Investor’s Business Daily, LLC.
©2026 Investor’s Business Daily, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Households around the country are facing financial stress amid persistent inflation, and retirees facing rising expenses need to ensure their income streams can cover costs.
Americans derive their retirement income from a variety of sources, which can include personal retirement savings, such as through a 401(k) plan or IRA, as well as annuities, pension plans and Social Security benefits.
The average annual Social Security benefit amounts to $24,852, based on the monthly average of $2,071 reported by the Social Security Administration in January 2026.
A new analysis by MoneyLion that utilized data from the MIT Living Wage Calculator estimated the annual income required to retire comfortably in each state, which ranges from a high of $64,504 in Hawaii to a low of $40,627 in West Virginia.
SOCIAL SECURITY ANNOUNCES COST-OF-LIVING ADJUSTMENT FOR 2027
Here’s a look at the state-by-state breakdown of the annual income a single adult without children would need to retire comfortably, according to MoneyLion’s analysis of the MIT Living Wage Calculator.
Income requirements by state
Alabama: $43,814
Alaska: $51,965
Arizona: $50,900
Arkansas: $41,615
California: $63,402
Colorado: $54,071
Connecticut: $54,178
Delaware: $49,484
Florida: $50,117
Georgia: $50,351
Hawaii: $64,504
THE AMERICAN DREAM NOW COSTS $5.3M AS HOMEOWNERSHIP, COLLEGE COSTS SURGE
Idaho: $49,091
Illinois: $50,796
Indiana: $45,326
Iowa: $44,273
Kansas: $44,994
Kentucky: $42,040
Louisiana: $42,378
Maine: $51,465
Maryland: $53,949
Massachusetts: $63,610
Michigan: $45,914
Minnesota: $48,475
Mississippi: $43,025
Missouri: $44,244
Montana: $50,409
Nebraska: $45,241
Nevada: $50,259
New Hampshire: $53,604
New Jersey: $56,884
New Mexico: $45,607
New York: $62,167
North Carolina: $46,745
North Dakota: $42,874
AMERICANS’ RETIREMENT SAVINGS GROW AS MORE FAMILIES PARTICIPATE IN PLANS
Ohio: $43,674
Oklahoma: $43,119
Oregon: $55,047
Pennsylvania: $48,515
Rhode Island: $52,024
South Carolina: $46,469
South Dakota: $42,706
Tennessee: $44,959
Texas: $45,290
Utah: $51,407
Vermont: $51,831
Virginia: $53,505
Washington: $55,316
West Virginia: $40,627
Wisconsin: $45,504
Wyoming: $44,614

To understand why China is desperate to ship cars overseas, visit a dealership in Beijing.
Autumn has traditionally been the peak time to buy vehicles in the country, but this year many showrooms are empty or shut.
Car salesman Li Ke said that other than the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2026 “golden September and silver October” season, as it’s known, is the slowest he’s seen in his 26 years on the job.
“In past years, customers would come to the showrooms nonstop,” he told CNBC during an interview in his deserted showroom at a complex of dealerships on the outskirts of the Chinese capital. “We would have deals to sign every day. But nowadays we see only two to three deals a week. It’s a dramatic drop.”
Many people in China aren’t buying cars because an unstable job market and a continued slide in property prices have undercut consumer confidence. The government has also scaled back incentives such as cash-for-clunkers subsidies and tax breaks to go electric, car salespeople said.
Passenger car retail sales for 2026 in China totaled 13.33 million units through September, falling 21.7% from a year ago, according to the China Passenger Car Association. For the full year 2026, China’s domestic passenger car retail sales are set to drop 22% to 18.5 million vehicles, the association said — under the level recorded in the first year of the pandemic.
Even electric vehicles, which were once a bright spot, are down. Gasoline car sales have been declining in China because of the country’s transition to electric vehicles, but sales in China of new-energy vehicles — which includes EVs — dropped by 12.8% from January through September, according to the association.
“Customers are watching every penny,” Li said. “When looking at all the new functions on all these new models, they are weighing what is most practical, economic and worth their money over the long term. We don’t see impulse buying. Because of the bad economy, people are taking more time to replace their cars.”
The fierce competition has led to bruising price wars in recent years, a key reason Chinese carmakers have cast their eyes overseas and why Beijing is fearful of partners like the U.S. and Europe putting up coordinated trade barriers against its massive car exports, analysts said.
Industrial profits for the first nine months of the year were up 15.5% from the same period in 2025, but September showed signs of weakness relative to the prior eight months, according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics. For the auto manufacturing industry specifically, profits from January to September shrank by 22.8% compared with last year.
To preserve cash, Li’s dealership moved out of a pricey streetside space to one with less foot traffic but that rents at a fraction of the cost.
With profit margins eroding, Li said he sees little point in offering further discounts. He said the bigger hurdle is the prevailing Chinese consumer attitude toward big-ticket purchases.
“Chinese buyers would rather wait,” he said.