Wingstop Inc. (WING) – What Are Researchers Saying About This Stock?

Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-eight analysts that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation, twenty-one have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $219.56.

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on WING shares. Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Wingstop from $240.00 to $200.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Royal Bank Of Canada increased their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Wingstop from $191.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. BNP Paribas Exane reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $182.00 target price (down from $203.00) on shares of Wingstop in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Benchmark lowered their price target on Wingstop from $285.00 to $245.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th.

Wingstop Stock Down 1.5%

Shares of NASDAQ WING opened at $163.28 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.42 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 1.77. Wingstop has a 52 week low of $95.82 and a 52 week high of $302.80. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $120.15 and a 200 day moving average price of $161.84.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The restaurant operator reported $1.08 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.06. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 15.80% and a net margin of 16.03%. The business had revenue of $185.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $192.89 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.09 EPS. Wingstop’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Wingstop will post 4.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wingstop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 4th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 13th will be issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 13th. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Wingstop’s payout ratio is presently 30.99%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 1,520 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, October 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $145.11, for a total transaction of $220,567.20. Following the sale, the director directly owned 3,986 shares in the company, valued at approximately $578,408.46. The trade was a 27.61% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, COO Raj Kapoor sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.61, for a total transaction of $409,025.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 1,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $271,428.99. This represents a 60.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wingstop

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Moors & Cabot Inc. raised its stake in Wingstop by 31.0% during the third quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 2,850 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $300,000 after acquiring an additional 675 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Wingstop by 4.9% in the third quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 115,714 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $12,193,000 after purchasing an additional 5,396 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its position in shares of Wingstop by 22.2% during the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 12,227 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,288,000 after acquiring an additional 2,222 shares during the last quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP lifted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 25,135.3% in the 3rd quarter. Fulcrum Asset Management LLP now owns 12,870 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,398,000 after purchasing an additional 12,819 shares during the period. Finally, Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS increased its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 45.5% in the third quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 9,455 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $996,000 after purchasing an additional 2,955 shares during the period.

About Wingstop

Wingstop Inc is a franchised restaurant company specializing in cooked-to-order chicken wings and related menu items. Its offerings include classic and boneless wings prepared with a range of flavors, along with chicken sandwiches, tenders, fries, seasoned fries, dips, sides and beverages. The company emphasizes made-to-order food, a digital ordering experience and a menu centered on customizable chicken meals.

Founded in 1994 in Garland, Texas, Wingstop has expanded from a single restaurant into a global brand operated primarily through franchised locations.