Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Receives “Buy” Rating from DA Davidson

DA Davidson reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) in a research report report published on Monday morning,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $250.00 target price on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Other research analysts also recently issued research reports about the stock. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 target price on shares of Wingstop in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Melius Research set a $350.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on Wingstop from $285.00 to $175.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Raymond James Financial upgraded Wingstop from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $325.00 to $240.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 2nd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Wingstop from $330.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 31st. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Wingstop presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $305.55.

Wingstop Stock Up 1.4%

Shares of WING stock opened at $199.01 on Monday. Wingstop has a 12 month low of $142.24 and a 12 month high of $388.14. The business’s 50 day moving average is $206.25 and its two-hundred day moving average is $237.32. The company has a market cap of $5.44 billion, a PE ratio of 32.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 2.03.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $175.69 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $177.74 million. Wingstop had a net margin of 25.01% and a negative return on equity of 16.12%. Wingstop’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.92 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Wingstop will post 4.54 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Wingstop’s payout ratio is presently 19.42%.

Insider Transactions at Wingstop

In related news, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 566 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $141,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 4,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,093,750. This trade represents a 11.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares of Wingstop 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 sale, the director directly owned 2,583 shares in the company, valued at approximately $673,465.59. This trade represents a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Wingstop

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Lone Pine Capital LLC bought a new position in Wingstop in the third quarter worth $375,317,000. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its holdings 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 period. TD Asset Management Inc increased its holdings in Wingstop by 17.1% in the 3rd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 57,586 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $14,493,000 after buying an additional 8,414 shares during the period. Capital World Investors raised its stake in shares of Wingstop by 160.6% in the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 740,896 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $186,469,000 after buying an additional 456,637 shares in the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC raised its stake in shares of Wingstop by 287.3% in the 3rd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 6,329 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,593,000 after buying an additional 4,695 shares in the last quarter.

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.