Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. Invests $2 Million in Wingstop Inc. $WING

Polar Asset Management Partners Inc. purchased a new position in Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 12,900 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,999,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. 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 worth $33,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Wingstop by 121.4% during the 1st 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 last quarter. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Wingstop during the 4th quarter valued at about $63,000.

Wingstop Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ:WING opened at $137.24 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.79. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $151.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $191.43. 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 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $183.72 million during 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%.Wingstop’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.99 EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.56 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WING has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and set a $160.00 price objective on shares of Wingstop in a report on Thursday, July 9th. Benchmark lowered their target price on shares of Wingstop from $320.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $255.00 target price on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Wingstop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $330.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $255.81.

Wingstop 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.