Wingstop Inc. $WING Shares Purchased by Carnegie Investment Counsel

Carnegie Investment Counsel boosted its position in Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) by 33.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 51,725 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after acquiring an additional 12,985 shares during the quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel owned 0.19% of Wingstop worth $12,336,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WING. Baird Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Wingstop in the first quarter valued at $256,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted its holdings in Wingstop by 2,770.6% in the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,952 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $440,000 after acquiring an additional 1,884 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 5.6% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 92,439 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $20,852,000 after purchasing an additional 4,937 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 121.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 217 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 45.5% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,387 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $467,000 after purchasing an additional 434 shares in the last quarter.

Wingstop Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WING opened at $179.89 on Friday. Wingstop Inc. has a one year low of $142.24 and a one year high of $388.14. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $215.83 and its 200 day simple moving average is $240.12. The stock has a market cap of $4.92 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 2.03.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last released its quarterly 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. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 25.01%.The business had revenue of $175.69 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $177.74 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.92 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current year.

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 566 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $141,500.00. Following the transaction, the director 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 legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.73, for a total value of $703,971.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,583 shares in the company, valued at approximately $673,465.59. This trade represents a 51.11% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on WING. DA Davidson began coverage on Wingstop in a research note on Friday, March 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $330.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Wingstop from $330.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Raymond James Financial upgraded Wingstop from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $325.00 to $240.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Wingstop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. Finally, Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $375.00 price objective on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Wingstop currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $311.76.

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.