Fluent Financial LLC Takes Position in Wingstop Inc. $WING

Fluent Financial LLC bought a new position in Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund bought 6,085 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,451,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Baird Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Wingstop in the first quarter worth $256,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in Wingstop by 2,770.6% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,952 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $440,000 after acquiring an additional 1,884 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in Wingstop by 5.6% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 92,439 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $20,852,000 after acquiring an additional 4,937 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Wingstop by 121.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 217 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in Wingstop by 45.5% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,387 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $467,000 after purchasing an additional 434 shares during the last quarter.

Wingstop Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of NASDAQ:WING opened at $154.46 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $237.67 and a 200 day moving average of $247.08. The company has a market cap of $4.22 billion, a PE ratio of 24.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.82. Wingstop Inc. has a 12-month low of $153.23 and a 12-month high of $388.14.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 net margin of 25.01% and a negative return on equity of 16.12%. The firm’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.92 EPS. Equities research analysts predict that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wingstop Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.42%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Wingstop news, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.73, for a total transaction of $703,971.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 2,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $673,465.59. This trade represents a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 566 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $141,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,375 shares in the company, valued at $1,093,750. The trade was a 11.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently commented on WING. Melius Research set a $350.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Wingstop in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Wingstop from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $375.00 target price on shares of Wingstop in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $334.61.

Wingstop 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.