Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Rating Increased to Hold at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) from a sell rating to a hold rating in a report released on Saturday.

Other equities research analysts also recently issued reports about the stock. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $363.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on shares of Wingstop from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $350.00 price objective on shares of Wingstop in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $337.29.

Wingstop Price Performance

NASDAQ:WING opened at $187.79 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.39, a P/E/G ratio of 2.05 and a beta of 1.82. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $248.67 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $251.99. Wingstop has a 1 year low of $184.00 and a 1 year high of $388.14.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $175.69 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $177.74 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that Wingstop will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Wingstop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wingstop

In other Wingstop 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 value of $141,500.00. Following the sale, the director owned 4,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,093,750. This trade represents a 11.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares of Wingstop stock in a transaction dated 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wingstop

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. 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 lifted its position in Wingstop by 17.3% in the 3rd 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 lifted its position in Wingstop by 10.1% in the 4th 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. Personal CFO Solutions LLC boosted its stake in Wingstop by 4.6% in the second quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 997 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $336,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC boosted its stake in 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 in the last quarter.

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.