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

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

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BTIG Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $265.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Raymond James Financial reissued a “strong-buy” rating on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. BNP Paribas Exane restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $182.00 target price (down from $203.00) on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Thursday, October 29th. Mizuho decreased their target price on Wingstop from $240.00 to $200.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, October 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein cut Wingstop from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $220.00 to $155.00 in a report on Monday, August 3rd.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Wingstop during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $481,314,000. Darsana Capital Partners LP increased its stake in Wingstop by 20.0% in the 2nd quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 1,500,000 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $260,115,000 after purchasing an additional 250,000 shares during the period. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. increased its stake in Wingstop by 44.5% in the 2nd quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 942,943 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $163,516,000 after purchasing an additional 290,501 shares during the period. State Street Corp lifted its position in Wingstop by 2.0% in the second quarter. State Street Corp now owns 863,951 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $149,751,000 after purchasing an additional 16,907 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in Wingstop in the second quarter valued at approximately $147,440,000.

Wingstop Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WING opened at $167.62 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.53 billion, a PE ratio of 39.35, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.77. Wingstop has a one year low of $95.82 and a one year high of $302.80. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $118.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $162.93.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The restaurant operator reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.06. Wingstop had a net margin of 16.03% and a negative return on equity of 15.80%. The company had revenue of $185.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $192.89 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.09 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts expect that Wingstop will post 4.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wingstop Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 4th. Investors of record on Friday, November 13th will be given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 13th. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio is 30.99%.

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.