Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Sees Unusually-High Trading Volume – What’s Next?

Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) shares saw an uptick in trading volume on Wednesday . Approximately 1,102,610 shares were traded during trading, a decline of 3% from the previous session’s volume of 1,138,233 shares.The stock last traded at $173.4020 and had previously closed at $173.41.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Wolfe Research started coverage on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Monday, March 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Wingstop from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and cut their target price for the company from $325.00 to $240.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Mizuho set a $280.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a report on Friday, June 5th. Benchmark decreased their price target on shares of Wingstop from $320.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $255.00 price objective on shares of Wingstop in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $260.89.

Wingstop Price Performance

The firm has a market capitalization of $4.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.82. The business has a 50 day moving average of $152.95 and a 200 day moving average of $204.39.

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

Wingstop Announces Dividend

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wingstop

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 76.9% in the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 138 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its stake in Wingstop by 197.9% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 143 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Wingstop by 75.7% in the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 188 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Holdings LLC bought a new stake in Wingstop in the third quarter valued at $47,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Wingstop by 121.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 217 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 119 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.