BTIG Research Reaffirms Buy Rating for Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING)

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING)‘s stock had its “buy” rating reiterated by research analysts at BTIG Research in a research note issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $400.00 target price on the restaurant operator’s stock. BTIG Research’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 53.32% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the stock. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $295.00 price objective on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Tuesday, October 28th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Wingstop from $363.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Wingstop from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Mizuho dropped their price objective on Wingstop from $320.00 to $310.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Wingstop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $336.07.

Wingstop Trading Up 0.3%

WING opened at $260.89 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day moving average is $260.26 and its 200 day moving average is $267.33. The company has a market cap of $7.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.22, a PEG ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.80. Wingstop has a 12-month low of $204.00 and a 12-month high of $388.14.

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Wingstop

In related news, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 269 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $259.97, for a total value of $69,931.93. Following the sale, the director owned 5,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,373,421.51. The trade was a 4.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wingstop

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

Wingstop News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Wingstop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and constructive guidance — Wingstop reported stronger-than-expected EPS and improved adjusted EBITDA margins, and management guided to low-single-digit domestic comps and ~15% global unit growth, which supports an earnings acceleration thesis. Investors Have WING. Do They Need a Prayer?
• Positive Sentiment: Unit growth & tech-led off-premise gains — Wingstop added ~20% more stores year-over-year and highlighted Smart Kitchen (AI order prioritization) and ~75% digital growth as levers to boost AUVs and operating leverage as comps recover. After Rare Sales Decline, Wingstop Targets AI Kitchens, Loyalty, and Marketing to Reignite Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns and institutional buying — Aggressive buybacks (reducing share count ~4–5% in Q4) plus a modest dividend and heavy institutional ownership / buying provide technical and capital-return support that can amplify rallies and prompt short-covering. Investors Have WING. Do They Need a Prayer?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst moves are mixed — Several firms reaffirm or raise targets (Stephens, BTIG) while others trimmed targets modestly (RBC, Barclays) but many still show sizable upside, producing divergent near-term sentiment despite broader bullish coverage. Analyst Ratings and Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Street reaction shows caution — TD Cowen reiterated a Hold, reflecting a wait-and-see stance despite the beat; the market is sorting whether growth will be comp-led or unit-led. TD Cowen Reiterates Hold for Wingstop
• Negative Sentiment: Comp pressure and rising competition — Wingstop reported its first annual same-store sales decline in decades; analysts warn competition (the “fried chicken” arms race and other chains) and commoditization of customization could limit pricing power and premium multiples. Wingstop Reports First Same-Store Annual Sales Decline in 22 Years
• Negative Sentiment: Franchisee execution & capital allocation critique — Short reports and some sell-side commentary point to weaker franchisee performance, heavy reliance on new-unit openings for growth, and most FCF being returned to buybacks/dividends rather than reinvested in operations — risks to sustainable comp recovery. Losing Patience With Poor Franchisee Performance
• Negative Sentiment: Broader macro/traffic headwinds — Coverage notes winter storms and weaker traffic trends pressured Q4 comps; management actions (loyalty, marketing, AI kitchens) aim to offset but execution risk remains. How Wingstop plans to weather traffic slides and winter storms

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.