Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Research Coverage Started at BNP Paribas Exane

BNP Paribas Exane assumed coverage on shares of Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) in a report issued on Monday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage issued an outperform rating and a $275.00 target price on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on WING. Truist Financial set a $374.00 price objective on shares of Wingstop and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $335.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Wingstop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $326.86.

Wingstop Stock Performance

NASDAQ WING opened at $144.87 on Monday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $230.54 and its two-hundred day moving average is $244.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 2.03. Wingstop has a fifty-two week low of $144.68 and a fifty-two week high of $388.14.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $177.74 million. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.92 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.42%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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 completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,375 shares in the company, valued at $1,093,750. This trade represents a 11.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.73, for a total transaction of $703,971.00. Following the sale, the director owned 2,583 shares in the company, valued at $673,465.59. This trade represents a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Lone Pine Capital LLC purchased a new stake in Wingstop during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $375,317,000. Steadfast Capital Management LP boosted its position in Wingstop by 296.2% in the 3rd 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 period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew 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 worth $335,292,000 after acquiring an additional 456,861 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its stake 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 worth $186,469,000 after acquiring an additional 456,637 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Atreides Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Wingstop during the fourth quarter worth $93,012,000.

Wingstop News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Wingstop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New openings and international growth continue: Wingstop opened a downtown Spokane location and the UK&I business opened a second site in Reading, supporting long‑term unit growth and franchise revenue potential. Spokane opening Reading opening
• Positive Sentiment: Positive media and marketing momentum: features highlighting Wingstop’s brand strength and reasons to own the stock, plus coverage of influencer-driven marketing in Australia, bolster the growth narrative and customer demand outlook. 3 Big Reasons to Love Wingstop Aussie influencers
• Neutral Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage, which can add liquidity and attention but its near-term impact depends on the stance and modeling in the report. BNP Paribas Exane initiation
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are reworking expectations: coverage pieces note a shifting investment story as Street models are adjusted; this signals uncertainty but also a reset that could set up clearer targets. Investment story shifting
• Negative Sentiment: Price-target cuts from major firms pressured sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its target from $330 to $225 (still overweight), and Guggenheim lowered its target from $315 to $255 (still a buy). Lower targets signal reduced near‑term growth expectations and likely contributed to selling pressure. Wells Fargo trim Guggenheim note
• Negative Sentiment: Shares sold off into the session and hit near‑term lows on higher-than-average volume, amplifying downside pressure as traders reacted to the analyst moves and reset expectations. Zacks: stock sinks

About Wingstop

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.