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

Shares of Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-four research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, twenty-six have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $282.4138.

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WING. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of Wingstop from $230.00 to $229.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $325.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and set a $175.00 target price on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. DA Davidson restated a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded Wingstop from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and cut their price target for the company from $283.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares of Wingstop stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.73, for a total value of $703,971.00. Following the sale, the director owned 2,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $673,465.59. This trade represents a 51.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 566 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 owned 4,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,093,750. This represents a 11.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wingstop

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Baird Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in Wingstop in the 1st quarter valued at $256,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in shares of Wingstop by 2,770.6% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,952 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $440,000 after buying an additional 1,884 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in shares of Wingstop by 5.6% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 92,439 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $20,852,000 after buying an additional 4,937 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 121.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 217 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 45.5% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,387 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $467,000 after buying an additional 434 shares in the last quarter.

Wingstop Trading Up 8.6%

Shares of WING stock opened at $129.21 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.52 billion, a PE ratio of 32.14, a PEG ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.86. Wingstop has a 12-month low of $116.35 and a 12-month high of $388.14. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $174.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $225.67.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $183.73 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $187.82 million. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.22% and a net margin of 15.77%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.99 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Wingstop will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current year.

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.85%.

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.