Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the thirty-three research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation, twenty-five have assigned a buy recommendation and two have issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $276.6071.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Wingstop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and set a $160.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Thursday. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on Wingstop in a report on Monday, March 9th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. Weiss Ratings cut Wingstop from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on Wingstop from $230.00 to $229.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th.

Institutional Trading of Wingstop

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WING. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in Wingstop by 1,650.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Wingstop by 76.9% in the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 138 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its stake in shares of Wingstop by 197.9% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 143 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 54.3% during the third quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 142 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Wingstop by 75.7% in the fourth quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 188 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the last quarter.

Wingstop Stock Performance

Shares of Wingstop stock opened at $142.23 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.87 billion, a PE ratio of 35.38, a P/E/G ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.82. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $156.95 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $215.75. Wingstop has a one year low of $116.35 and a one year high of $388.14.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.16. Wingstop had a net margin of 15.77% and a negative return on equity of 16.22%. The business had revenue of $183.73 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $187.82 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that Wingstop will post 4.59 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wingstop Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio is 29.85%.

About Wingstop

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.