H Melville Hope III Sells 3,878 Shares of First Watch Restaurant Group (NASDAQ:FWRG) Stock

First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:FWRG) CFO H Melville Hope III sold 3,878 shares of First Watch Restaurant Group stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.52, for a total transaction of $48,552.56. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 111,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,399,573.24. This trade represents a 3.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

H Melville Hope III also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, March 10th, H Melville Hope III sold 7,358 shares of First Watch Restaurant Group stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.59, for a total transaction of $92,637.22.

First Watch Restaurant Group Stock Down 1.6%

Shares of FWRG opened at $12.20 on Friday. First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. has a 12 month low of $11.44 and a 12 month high of $20.55. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $14.86 and its 200-day moving average is $16.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $745.60 million, a PE ratio of 39.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43.

First Watch Restaurant Group (NASDAQ:FWRG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.08 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $316.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $317.49 million. First Watch Restaurant Group had a return on equity of 3.20% and a net margin of 1.59%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.01 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. will post 0.32 EPS for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Watch Restaurant Group

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FWRG. Legal & General Group Plc boosted its stake in First Watch Restaurant Group by 1.6% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 45,531 shares of the company’s stock valued at $730,000 after buying an additional 724 shares in the last quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System grew its position in First Watch Restaurant Group by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 46,092 shares of the company’s stock valued at $695,000 after acquiring an additional 832 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in First Watch Restaurant Group by 4.2% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 23,016 shares of the company’s stock worth $360,000 after acquiring an additional 934 shares in the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey raised its stake in First Watch Restaurant Group by 17.3% during the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 9,108 shares of the company’s stock worth $146,000 after acquiring an additional 1,341 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group by 11.1% in the fourth quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 16,041 shares of the company’s stock worth $242,000 after acquiring an additional 1,606 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.11% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting First Watch Restaurant Group

Here are the key news stories impacting First Watch Restaurant Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company beat on earnings in its Feb. 24 quarterly report (EPS $0.24 vs. $0.08 expected) and revenue rose ~20% year-over-year — the operational recovery and beat support upside potential. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street coverage is largely constructive: multiple Buy/Overweight ratings and a consensus price target (~$19.75) signal analyst confidence above current levels, which can limit downside.
• Positive Sentiment: Several hedge funds and institutional investors have increased positions in prior quarters (e.g., Stephens Investment Management, Deepwater Asset Management), indicating continued institutional interest. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Business profile: daytime-focused casual-dining concept with expanding footprint — attractive growth story but sensitive to consumer spending and labor/commodity costs. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Balance-sheet/liquidity signals are mixed (low current/quick ratios vs. modest debt-to-equity); these fundamentals could matter if macro conditions deteriorate. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Christopher Tomasso sold 25,062 shares (~$313,776 at ~$12.52), reducing his stake ~2.55% — largest and most market-visible insider sale this round. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: CFO H. Melville Hope III sold 3,878 shares (~$48,553), a ~3.35% reduction. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Other insiders (Jay Wolszczak, Matthew Eisenacher, Laura Sorensen, John D. Jones) executed modest sales on the same date (each thousands of shares), signaling coordinated/portfolio-driven selling that can pressure near-term sentiment. Read More. Read More. Read More. Read More.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of First Watch Restaurant Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup dropped their price target on First Watch Restaurant Group from $26.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Guggenheim cut their price objective on shares of First Watch Restaurant Group from $23.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of First Watch Restaurant Group from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Stephens decreased their target price on shares of First Watch Restaurant Group from $24.00 to $21.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, First Watch Restaurant Group currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $19.75.

About First Watch Restaurant Group

First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc (NASDAQ: FWRG) operates a specialty daytime dining concept focused on breakfast, brunch and lunch. The company’s casual, full-service cafés emphasize fresh ingredients, made-to-order entrées and a seasonally driven menu that ranges from omelets and Benedicts to salads, skillets and afternoon sandwiches. First Watch positions itself as a daytime-only destination, with most locations opening early morning and closing by mid-afternoon.

Founded in 1983 by Ken Pendery and John Sullivan in Pacific Grove, California, First Watch began as a single café and gradually expanded through company-owned and select franchised locations.