Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-four ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, twenty-five have issued a buy rating and three have given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $334.6071.

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $350.00 price objective on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Truist Financial set a $374.00 target price on Wingstop and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Wingstop from $325.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $285.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price target on shares of Wingstop from $335.00 to $330.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 19th.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.73, for a total value of $703,971.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $673,465.59. This represents a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 566 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $141,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,093,750. The trade was a 11.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wingstop

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Lone Pine Capital LLC acquired a new position in Wingstop in the third quarter worth $375,317,000. Steadfast Capital Management LP increased its stake in shares of Wingstop by 296.2% in the third quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP now owns 950,521 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $239,227,000 after buying an additional 710,621 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in shares of Wingstop by 48.1% in the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,405,894 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $335,292,000 after buying an additional 456,861 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 160.6% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 740,896 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $186,469,000 after buying an additional 456,637 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Atreides Management LP bought a new position in shares of Wingstop in the fourth quarter valued at about $93,012,000.

Wingstop Stock Performance

Shares of WING opened at $155.67 on Friday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $240.10 and a 200-day simple moving average of $248.40. Wingstop has a 52 week low of $155.38 and a 52 week high of $388.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.19, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.82.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.16. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 25.01%.The business had revenue of $175.69 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $177.74 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.92 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Wingstop will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Wingstop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Wingstop’s payout ratio is presently 19.42%.

Wingstop Company Profile

Wingstop Inc (NASDAQ: WING) is a fast-casual restaurant chain specializing in chicken wings and related menu items. Founded in 1994 in Garland, Texas, the company has built its brand around bold, chef-inspired wing flavors and a streamlined service model that caters to dine-in, takeout, delivery and catering orders.

The company’s core offerings include both bone-in and boneless chicken wings tossed in a variety of proprietary rubs and sauces, such as Original Hot, Lemon Pepper, and Mango Habanero.