Royal Bank Of Canada Has Lowered Expectations for Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Stock Price

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) had its price objective reduced by stock analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $350.00 to $340.00 in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 30.32% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research analysts also recently commented on WING. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $375.00 target price on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Thursday. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Wingstop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Loop Capital started coverage on shares of Wingstop in a report on Friday, January 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $317.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus increased their target price on shares of Wingstop from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Finally, Benchmark reduced their price target on shares of Wingstop from $340.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $336.07.

Wingstop Trading Up 0.3%

WING opened at $260.89 on Thursday. Wingstop has a 12 month low of $204.00 and a 12 month high of $388.14. The company has a market cap 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $260.26 and a 200 day moving average of $267.33.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.16. Wingstop had a net margin of 25.01% and a negative return on equity of 16.12%. 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 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Wingstop will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Wingstop

In other news, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 269 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $259.97, for a total value of $69,931.93. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 5,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,373,421.51. This represents a 4.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Wingstop

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of WING. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Wingstop by 1,650.0% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 76.9% during the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 138 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its position in Wingstop by 197.9% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 143 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. Quaker Wealth Management LLC raised its position in Wingstop by 134.2% in the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 104 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $35,000 after purchasing an additional 408 shares during the period. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in Wingstop by 54.3% during the third quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 142 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the period.

Trending Headlines about Wingstop

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.