First Watch Restaurant Group (NASDAQ:FWRG) Insider Sells $21,246.44 in Stock

First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:FWRG) insider John Daniel Jones sold 1,697 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.52, for a total value of $21,246.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 84,725 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,060,757. This represents a 1.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

John Daniel Jones also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, March 10th, John Daniel Jones sold 4,600 shares of First Watch Restaurant Group stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.59, for a total value of $57,914.00.

First Watch Restaurant Group Stock Performance

Shares of First Watch Restaurant Group stock opened at $12.20 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $14.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.09. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $11.44 and a 12 month high of $20.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $745.60 million, a P/E ratio of 39.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.92.

First Watch Restaurant Group (NASDAQ:FWRG) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.16. First Watch Restaurant Group had a return on equity of 3.20% and a net margin of 1.59%.The firm had revenue of $316.35 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $317.49 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.01 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 20.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts anticipate that First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. will post 0.32 EPS for the current year.

First Watch Restaurant Group News Summary

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.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Watch Restaurant Group

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of FWRG. Legal & General Group Plc lifted its stake in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group by 1.6% during the 2nd 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 boosted its holdings in First Watch Restaurant Group by 1.8% in the 4th quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System now owns 46,092 shares of the company’s stock worth $695,000 after buying an additional 832 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in First Watch Restaurant Group by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 23,016 shares of the company’s stock valued at $360,000 after buying an additional 934 shares in the last quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey grew its stake in First Watch Restaurant Group by 17.3% in the 2nd quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 9,108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,000 after buying an additional 1,341 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Intech Investment Management LLC raised its holdings in First Watch Restaurant Group by 11.1% during the 4th quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 16,041 shares of the company’s stock valued at $242,000 after acquiring an additional 1,606 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.11% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently issued reports on FWRG. Zacks Research upgraded shares of First Watch Restaurant Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of First Watch Restaurant Group from $26.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of First Watch Restaurant Group in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Guggenheim decreased their price target on shares of First Watch Restaurant Group from $23.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Stephens lowered their price target 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $19.75.

First Watch Restaurant Group Company Profile

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.