Champlain Investment Partners LLC Increases Holdings in Wingstop Inc. $WING

Champlain Investment Partners LLC raised its holdings in Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) by 3.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 767,208 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after buying an additional 26,111 shares during the quarter. Wingstop comprises 1.5% of Champlain Investment Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 11th largest position. Champlain Investment Partners LLC’s holdings in Wingstop were worth $193,091,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Wingstop in the second quarter worth $118,211,000. Wasatch Advisors LP bought a new position in Wingstop in the 2nd quarter worth $114,758,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of Wingstop by 83.1% in the 2nd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 737,369 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $248,302,000 after purchasing an additional 334,583 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA lifted its position in shares of Wingstop by 50.0% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 949,033 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $238,853,000 after purchasing an additional 316,328 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 23.3% during the 2nd quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,557,383 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $524,433,000 after purchasing an additional 294,786 shares in the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

WING has been the subject of several research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on Wingstop from $350.00 to $340.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Northcoast Research upgraded Wingstop from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $375.00 target price on shares of Wingstop in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Wingstop from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Melius Research set a $350.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $336.07.

Wingstop Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WING opened at $240.20 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $260.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $263.08. Wingstop Inc. has a 52-week low of $204.00 and a 52-week high of $388.14. The company has a market cap of $6.60 billion, a PE ratio of 38.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.84 and a beta of 1.82.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $175.69 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $177.74 million. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 25.01%.Wingstop’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.92 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.42%.

Insider Activity at Wingstop

In other Wingstop news, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 566 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $141,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,093,750. The trade was a 11.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the director owned 2,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $673,465.59. This trade represents a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.