Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Price Target Cut to $340.00 by Analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) had its price objective decreased by Royal Bank Of Canada from $350.00 to $340.00 in a report issued on Thursday, MarketBeat.com reports. Royal Bank Of Canada currently has an outperform rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. Barclays upped their price target on shares of Wingstop from $295.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Sanford C. Bernstein cut their target price on Wingstop from $400.00 to $350.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 5th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $375.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Thursday. Guggenheim upped their price objective on Wingstop from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $336.07.

Wingstop Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of WING traded up $3.18 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $263.17. 71,169 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 770,794. Wingstop has a 52 week low of $204.00 and a 52 week high of $388.14. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $259.76 and its 200-day simple moving average is $267.94. The firm has a market cap of $7.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.80.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last issued its quarterly 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 negative return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 25.01%.Wingstop’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.92 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Wingstop 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 payout ratio is presently 19.54%.

Insider Transactions at Wingstop

In other news, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 269 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $259.97, for a total transaction of $69,931.93. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 5,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,373,421.51. This trade represents a 4.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Wingstop

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WING. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in Wingstop by 64.2% during the 2nd quarter. Motley Fool Asset Management LLC now owns 8,879 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $2,990,000 after purchasing an additional 3,471 shares during the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Wingstop by 123.9% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 102,687 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $25,861,000 after buying an additional 56,833 shares during the period. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Wingstop by 85.6% during the 2nd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 9,922 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $3,341,000 after acquiring an additional 4,576 shares during the period. Champlain Investment Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Wingstop by 17.3% in the 2nd quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 741,097 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $249,557,000 after acquiring an additional 109,108 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC lifted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 287.3% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 6,329 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,593,000 after purchasing an additional 4,695 shares during the period.

Key Headlines Impacting Wingstop

Here are the key news stories impacting Wingstop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings and margin beat — Wingstop reported $1.00 EPS (vs. ~$0.84 expected) with adjusted EBITDA and margins better than feared, which drove the immediate rally. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Unit growth and guidance support upside — management projects low-single-digit domestic comps but ~15% global store-count growth and continues aggressive openings (493 new units in 2025), underpinning revenue and long-term leverage improvements. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: New growth levers — investments in Smart Kitchen (AI order fulfillment), digital acceleration and a loyalty push are positioned to improve off‑premise throughput and AUVs, helping margins over time. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns — ongoing buybacks (notable share-count reduction in Q4) and a newly announced quarterly dividend reinforce capital-return narratives that support the stock. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst activity — several firms reaffirm bullish ratings and high targets (Stephens, BTIG) while others trimmed price targets modestly (RBC, Barclays) yet kept overweight/outperform stances, leaving consensus upside but with differing conviction. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage caution — TD Cowen reiterated a Hold and flagged persistent comp pressures despite the beat, tempering some investor enthusiasm. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Domestic traffic weakness — Wingstop reported its first full-year same-store sales decline in 22 years and a notable domestic comp drop, a core risk to near-term growth and valuation. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and franchisee issues — revenue slightly missed consensus and analysts/activists have flagged franchisee performance and execution risks, which could pressure comps and sentiment if not resolved. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Leverage and short-interest risks — Wingstop is moderately leveraged with relatively high short interest (~14%), which can amplify downside on renewed traffic worries. Read More.

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.