Copeland Capital Management LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Wingstop Inc. $WING

Copeland Capital Management LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) by 5.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 272,030 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 15,518 shares during the quarter. Wingstop comprises approximately 1.4% of Copeland Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest holding. Copeland Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Wingstop were worth $64,877,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Wingstop by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 265 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $67,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. YANKCOM Partnership raised its holdings in Wingstop by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 426 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $102,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its holdings in Wingstop by 5.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 985 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $248,000 after acquiring an additional 47 shares during the period. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in Wingstop by 54.3% during the 3rd quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 142 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC raised its holdings in Wingstop by 2.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,583 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $650,000 after acquiring an additional 59 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have issued reports on WING. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of Wingstop from $345.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 6th. Guggenheim lowered their target price on shares of Wingstop from $315.00 to $255.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 1st. DA Davidson reissued a “buy” rating and set a $250.00 target price on shares of Wingstop in a report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $335.00 target price on shares of Wingstop in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Finally, Mizuho lowered their target price on shares of Wingstop from $320.00 to $310.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 9th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $305.55.

Wingstop Stock Performance

Wingstop stock opened at $186.74 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $5.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.22, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 2.03. Wingstop Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $142.24 and a fifty-two week high of $388.14. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $203.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $236.21.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $175.69 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $177.74 million. Wingstop had a net margin of 25.01% and a negative return on equity of 16.12%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.92 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.53 earnings per share for the current year.

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wingstop

In other news, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 566 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $141,500.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,093,750. This represents a 11.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.73, for a total value of $703,971.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,583 shares in the company, valued at approximately $673,465.59. This represents a 51.11% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

About Wingstop

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.