Stifel Nicolaus Cuts Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Price Target to $250.00

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) had its target price trimmed by Stifel Nicolaus from $325.00 to $250.00 in a research note released on Thursday morning,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on WING. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Wingstop from $267.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. DA Davidson began coverage on Wingstop in a research report on Friday, March 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $330.00 target price for the company. Truist Financial set a $374.00 target price on Wingstop and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Wingstop from $363.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Wingstop in a research report on Monday, March 9th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Wingstop has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $334.61.

Wingstop Trading Down 0.8%

WING stock opened at $154.46 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $237.67 and a 200-day moving average of $247.08. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.82. Wingstop has a 12 month low of $153.23 and a 12 month high of $388.14.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last posted 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 net margin of 25.01% and a negative return on equity of 16.12%. The business had revenue of $175.69 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $177.74 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.92 EPS. Wingstop’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts predict that Wingstop will post 4.18 EPS for the current year.

Wingstop Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Wingstop’s payout ratio is 19.42%.

Insider Transactions at Wingstop

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its position in Wingstop by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,111,089 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $503,475,000 after acquiring an additional 58,386 shares during the last quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC purchased a new position in Wingstop in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $375,317,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in 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 purchasing an additional 456,861 shares during the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Wingstop by 6.4% in 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 purchasing an additional 70,224 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Steadfast Capital Management LP boosted its stake 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 purchasing an additional 710,621 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.