Stephens Reaffirms “Overweight” Rating for Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING)

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING)‘s stock had its “overweight” rating restated by analysts at Stephens in a report released on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $375.00 target price on the restaurant operator’s stock. Stephens’ price objective would indicate a potential upside of 43.74% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $295.00 to $335.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. Citigroup boosted their target price on Wingstop from $267.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Melius Research set a $350.00 price target on Wingstop in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $335.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Wednesday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $336.07.

Wingstop Price Performance

Shares of WING opened at $260.89 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.17 billion, a PE ratio of 42.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.29 and a beta of 1.80. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $260.26 and its 200 day moving average price is $267.33. Wingstop has a 12-month low of $204.00 and a 12-month high of $388.14.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last announced its quarterly earnings results 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 for 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Wingstop will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Wingstop

In other Wingstop news, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 269 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $259.97, for a total transaction of $69,931.93. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 5,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,373,421.51. The trade was a 4.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wingstop

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Baird Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Wingstop during the 1st quarter worth approximately $256,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in Wingstop by 2,770.6% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,952 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $440,000 after acquiring an additional 1,884 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in Wingstop by 5.6% in 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 valued at $20,852,000 after acquiring an additional 4,937 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Wingstop by 121.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 217 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the period. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Wingstop by 45.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,387 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $467,000 after acquiring an additional 434 shares during the period.

Key Wingstop News

Here are the key news stories impacting Wingstop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and constructive guidance — Wingstop reported stronger-than-expected EPS and improved adjusted EBITDA margins, and management guided to low-single-digit domestic comps and ~15% global unit growth, which supports an earnings acceleration thesis. Investors Have WING. Do They Need a Prayer?
• Positive Sentiment: Unit growth & tech-led off-premise gains — Wingstop added ~20% more stores year-over-year and highlighted Smart Kitchen (AI order prioritization) and ~75% digital growth as levers to boost AUVs and operating leverage as comps recover. After Rare Sales Decline, Wingstop Targets AI Kitchens, Loyalty, and Marketing to Reignite Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns and institutional buying — Aggressive buybacks (reducing share count ~4–5% in Q4) plus a modest dividend and heavy institutional ownership / buying provide technical and capital-return support that can amplify rallies and prompt short-covering. Investors Have WING. Do They Need a Prayer?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst moves are mixed — Several firms reaffirm or raise targets (Stephens, BTIG) while others trimmed targets modestly (RBC, Barclays) but many still show sizable upside, producing divergent near-term sentiment despite broader bullish coverage. Analyst Ratings and Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Street reaction shows caution — TD Cowen reiterated a Hold, reflecting a wait-and-see stance despite the beat; the market is sorting whether growth will be comp-led or unit-led. TD Cowen Reiterates Hold for Wingstop
• Negative Sentiment: Comp pressure and rising competition — Wingstop reported its first annual same-store sales decline in decades; analysts warn competition (the “fried chicken” arms race and other chains) and commoditization of customization could limit pricing power and premium multiples. Wingstop Reports First Same-Store Annual Sales Decline in 22 Years
• Negative Sentiment: Franchisee execution & capital allocation critique — Short reports and some sell-side commentary point to weaker franchisee performance, heavy reliance on new-unit openings for growth, and most FCF being returned to buybacks/dividends rather than reinvested in operations — risks to sustainable comp recovery. Losing Patience With Poor Franchisee Performance
• Negative Sentiment: Broader macro/traffic headwinds — Coverage notes winter storms and weaker traffic trends pressured Q4 comps; management actions (loyalty, marketing, AI kitchens) aim to offset but execution risk remains. How Wingstop plans to weather traffic slides and winter storms

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.