Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Price Target Cut to $175.00 by Analysts at TD Cowen

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) had its price target decreased by TD Cowen from $285.00 to $175.00 in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. TD Cowen currently has a hold rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on WING. Jefferies Financial Group reissued a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 target price on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Wolfe Research began coverage on Wingstop in a research note on Monday, March 9th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price objective for the company. Piper Sandler raised Wingstop from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $283.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Wingstop from $345.00 to $265.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Friday, March 27th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $311.76.

Wingstop Stock Up 1.5%

WING stock opened at $168.53 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average of $219.41 and a two-hundred day moving average of $241.08. The stock has a market cap of $4.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.27, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 2.03. Wingstop has a 52-week low of $142.24 and a 52-week high of $388.14.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $175.69 million during 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%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that Wingstop will post 4.18 EPS for the current year.

Wingstop Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Wingstop’s payout ratio is presently 19.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wingstop

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Wingstop by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,111,089 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $503,475,000 after purchasing an additional 58,386 shares in the last quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC acquired a new position in Wingstop during the 3rd quarter worth $375,317,000. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its stake in Wingstop by 48.1% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,405,894 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $335,292,000 after purchasing an additional 456,861 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in Wingstop by 6.4% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,173,613 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $279,895,000 after purchasing an additional 70,224 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Steadfast Capital Management LP grew its stake in Wingstop by 296.2% during the 3rd quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP now owns 950,521 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $239,227,000 after purchasing an additional 710,621 shares in the last quarter.

Wingstop News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Wingstop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Citi upgraded WING to Buy with a $230 target, highlighting a potential second‑half operational recovery and framing the recent pullback as a buying opportunity. Wingstop Upgraded to Buy by Citi
• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James upgraded to Strong Buy (PT $240), calling the stock oversold after a large pullback and implying upside as sales and margins normalize. InsiderMonkey: Wingstop Oversold Strong Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts and commentators (Seeking Alpha, Citi coverage) argue same-store sales weakness is operational (delivery/kitchen bottlenecks) not demand-driven; digital loyalty (Club Wingstop) and kitchen tech rollouts are cited as concrete catalysts to restore sales and monetization. Seeking Alpha: Recovery Catalysts Not Priced In
• Positive Sentiment: Wingstop launched a co‑marketing tie with Coca‑Cola (Sprite Loco Lime) and a limited‑time Citrus Mojo wings promotion — potential near‑term traffic and brand lift from a national beverage partner. MSN: Coca‑Cola & Wingstop Collaboration
• Neutral Sentiment: Morgan Stanley trimmed its price target to $265 — still meaningfully above current levels — signaling slower near‑term expectations but continued belief in medium‑term upside. AmericanBankingNews: Morgan Stanley Lowers PT
• Neutral Sentiment: Zacks and other market summaries note the stock’s recent move and volume; coverage is focused on whether the pullback has priced in the recovery. Zacks: Wingstop Increases Yet Falls Behind Market
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen cut its price target sharply to $175 and moved to a Hold, which may weigh on sentiment because the new target is close to current levels and signals reduced near‑term conviction. TickerReport: TD Cowen Lowers PT

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.