Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Purchases Shares of 10,141 Wingstop Inc. $WING

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) during the second quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor acquired 10,141 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,759,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Baird Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Wingstop during the first quarter worth $256,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in Wingstop by 2,770.6% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,952 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $440,000 after purchasing an additional 1,884 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its stake in shares of Wingstop by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 92,439 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $20,852,000 after buying an additional 4,937 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in Wingstop by 121.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 217 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Wingstop by 45.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,387 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $467,000 after buying an additional 434 shares in the last quarter.

Wingstop Stock Up 3.3%

NASDAQ WING opened at $113.58 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.09 billion, a PE ratio of 26.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.81. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $138.06 and a two-hundred day moving average of $166.51. Wingstop Inc. has a 52 week low of $105.43 and a 52 week high of $338.80.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.16. Wingstop had a net margin of 16.15% and a negative return on equity of 16.31%. The business had revenue of $185.56 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $190.25 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.00 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wingstop Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be given a $0.33 dividend. This is an increase from Wingstop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.35%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on WING shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Wingstop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Guggenheim reduced their price target on Wingstop from $255.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 4th. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $200.00 price objective on shares of Wingstop in a report on Thursday, July 30th. DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, BTIG Research reduced their target price on shares of Wingstop from $305.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $241.81.

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.