Sanford C. Bernstein Reiterates “Market Perform” Rating for Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING)

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING)‘s stock had its “market perform” rating reaffirmed by research analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein in a research note issued on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports. They presently have a $155.00 price target on the restaurant operator’s stock, down from their prior price target of $220.00. Sanford C. Bernstein’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 19.70% from the company’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on WING. Bank of America cut their target price on Wingstop from $264.00 to $234.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Guggenheim lowered their price objective on Wingstop from $255.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 4th. UBS Group reissued a “neutral” rating on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Barclays decreased their target price on Wingstop from $330.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Wingstop from $255.00 to $238.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $241.81.

Wingstop Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WING opened at $129.49 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $152.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $187.58. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.53 billion, a PE ratio of 30.76, a PEG ratio of 1.55 and a beta of 1.81. Wingstop has a one year low of $116.35 and a one year high of $381.45.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.16. Wingstop had a net margin of 16.15% and a negative return on equity of 16.31%. The company had revenue of $185.56 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $190.25 million. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.00 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that Wingstop will post 4.48 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wingstop

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD boosted its holdings in Wingstop by 2.8% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,111,089 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $503,475,000 after purchasing an additional 58,386 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 48.1% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,405,894 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $335,292,000 after purchasing an additional 456,861 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of Wingstop by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,173,613 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $279,895,000 after buying an additional 70,224 shares during the last quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP raised its position in shares of Wingstop by 296.2% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Janus Henderson Group PLC lifted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 18.3% in the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 798,616 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $123,761,000 after buying an additional 123,315 shares during the period.

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.