American Century Companies Inc. Sells 128,530 Shares of Wingstop Inc. $WING

American Century Companies Inc. trimmed its position in Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) by 8.3% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,428,853 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 128,530 shares during the quarter. American Century Companies Inc. owned 5.14% of Wingstop worth $359,614,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of WING. WCM Investment Management LLC raised its position in Wingstop by 123.9% in the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 102,687 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $25,861,000 after buying an additional 56,833 shares during the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in Wingstop by 17.3% during 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 during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Wingstop by 61.2% during the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 2,825 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $951,000 after acquiring an additional 1,072 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 287.3% in the third 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 last quarter. Finally, Artisan Partners Limited Partnership lifted its position in shares of Wingstop by 83.1% in the second quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 737,369 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $248,302,000 after purchasing an additional 334,583 shares in the last quarter.

Wingstop Price Performance

NASDAQ:WING opened at $259.51 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $7.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.97 and a beta of 1.80. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $260.93 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $264.78. Wingstop Inc. has a one year low of $204.00 and a one year high of $388.14.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.16. The business 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%. Wingstop’s revenue 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, equities research analysts expect that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.42%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $335.00 to $330.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Wingstop from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on Wingstop from $365.00 to $330.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Four research 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 issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $336.07.

Insider Activity at Wingstop

In other Wingstop news, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.73, for a total transaction of $703,971.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,583 shares in the company, valued at $673,465.59. This trade represents a 51.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 566 shares of Wingstop stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $141,500.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,093,750. This represents a 11.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

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.