Meiji Yasuda America Inc Makes New $2.42 Million Investment in Wingstop Inc. $WING

Meiji Yasuda America Inc bought a new position in shares of Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 10,148 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $2,420,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WING. Lone Pine Capital LLC acquired a new stake in Wingstop during the third quarter worth $375,317,000. Steadfast Capital Management LP increased its stake in Wingstop by 296.2% during the third quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP now owns 950,521 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $239,227,000 after acquiring an additional 710,621 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA increased its stake in Wingstop by 48.1% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,405,894 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $335,292,000 after acquiring an additional 456,861 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in Wingstop by 160.6% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 740,896 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $186,469,000 after acquiring an additional 456,637 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wasatch Advisors LP acquired a new stake in Wingstop during the second quarter worth $114,758,000.

Wingstop Trading Up 5.7%

Shares of NASDAQ WING opened at $153.88 on Friday. Wingstop Inc. has a twelve month low of $116.35 and a twelve month high of $381.45. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $156.30 and a 200-day simple moving average of $213.29. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.19 billion, a PE ratio of 38.28, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.82.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.22% and a net margin of 15.77%.The business had revenue of $183.73 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $187.82 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.99 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were given 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 yield of 0.8%. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WING has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. BTIG Research reissued a “buy” rating and set a $305.00 target price on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Thursday, May 28th. Benchmark cut their target price on Wingstop from $320.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Wingstop in a research note on Monday, March 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Wingstop from $230.00 to $229.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $225.00 price objective on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $274.82.

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.