Wasatch Advisors LP Purchases 212,730 Shares of Wingstop Inc. $WING

Wasatch Advisors LP raised its position in Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) by 59.2% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 572,082 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 212,730 shares during the quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP owned approximately 2.09% of Wingstop worth $88,656,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vident Advisory LLC increased its position in shares of Wingstop by 3.9% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 959 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 17.3% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 265 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $67,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership boosted its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 10.1% in the fourth quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 426 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $102,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 1.7% in the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,628 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $627,000 after buying an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its position in Wingstop by 76.9% during the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 138 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period.

Wingstop Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:WING opened at $166.76 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $153.82 and a 200 day moving average of $205.77. The company has a market cap of $4.54 billion, a PE ratio of 41.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.82. Wingstop Inc. has a 12-month low of $116.35 and a 12-month high of $381.45.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.16. Wingstop had a net margin of 15.77% and a negative return on equity of 16.22%. The company had revenue of $183.72 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $187.82 million. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wingstop Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio is 29.85%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on WING shares. Barclays reduced their target price on shares of Wingstop from $330.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Wingstop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, June 20th. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $305.00 price objective on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Thursday, May 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Wingstop from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on Wingstop in a report on Monday, March 30th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 target price on the stock. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $260.89.

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.