Wingstop Inc. $WING Shares Acquired by Artisan Partners Limited Partnership

Artisan Partners Limited Partnership increased its position in shares of Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) by 20.8% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 890,451 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 153,082 shares during the period. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership owned about 3.20% of Wingstop worth $224,109,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Quaker Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Wingstop by 134.2% during the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 104 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 408 shares during the period. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 1,650.0% in the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 4,200.0% in the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 129 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Wingstop by 54.3% during the 3rd quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 142 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC lifted its holdings in Wingstop by 623.8% during the 2nd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 152 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 131 shares in the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have commented on WING. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Wingstop from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $335.00 target price on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Wednesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Wingstop from $363.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and set a $285.00 price objective on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $336.07.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Wingstop news, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 566 shares of Wingstop stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $141,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,093,750. The trade was a 11.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Trending Headlines about Wingstop

Here are the key news stories impacting Wingstop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company expansion: Wingstop is advancing plans to open two new restaurants in the Milwaukee area, evidence of continued unit growth and local market demand that supports long‑term revenue/royalty upside for the franchise model. Wingstop advances toward opening new Milwaukee restaurants
• Positive Sentiment: New local openings: Additional reporting confirms Wingstop is expanding its footprint (two Milwaukee locations plus a planned restaurant on Vestal Parkway), reinforcing the company’s steady unit-growth story that underpins long-term same-store sales and franchise revenues. Wingstop growing its local footprint with two new Milwaukee locations
• Neutral Sentiment: Capital-allocation discussion: Analysts and outlets are parsing Wingstop’s move toward share buybacks and a quarterly dividend — a shift that can tighten float and support the stock but raises questions about where capital is best deployed versus reinvestment in growth. Investors are weighing the long-term benefits against near-term cash use. Is Wingstop’s (WING) Buybacks And Dividend Shift Its Capital Allocation Story Or Confirm It?
• Neutral Sentiment: Trending/analyst coverage: Zacks and other outlets highlight heightened investor interest in WING and summarize fundamentals and risks — useful context but not an immediate catalyst. Here is What to Know Beyond Why Wingstop Inc. (WING) is a Trending Stock
• Neutral Sentiment: Local operational note: A Butler Township Wingstop had signage removed (local issue) while other market openings continue — likely limited company-level impact but worth monitoring for franchise execution. Butler Township Wingstop signage removed
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst caution: RBC lowered its near-term outlook and trimmed its price target, flagging weaker Q1 trends — a negative signal for short-term expectations and one reason for downward pressure among some investors. RBC Flags Weak Q1 2026 Trends as Price Target for Wingstop Inc. (WING) Drops
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: A company director sold 566 shares (~$141.5k), reducing their stake by ~11.5% — small in dollar terms vs. market cap but it can be viewed negatively by some investors when paired with analyst caution. Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Director Sells $141,500.00 in Stock

Wingstop Stock Performance

Shares of WING stock opened at $272.00 on Friday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $260.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $265.26. Wingstop Inc. has a 1 year low of $204.00 and a 1 year high of $388.14. The firm has a market cap of $7.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 44.01, a PEG ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 1.80.

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

Wingstop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Wingstop’s payout ratio is presently 19.42%.

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.