Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Now Covered by Analysts at BNP Paribas Exane

BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on shares of Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) in a research note issued to investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The firm issued an outperform rating and a $275.00 price target on the restaurant operator’s stock.

A number of other brokerages have also recently commented on WING. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $285.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Barclays lowered their price objective on Wingstop from $335.00 to $330.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Jefferies Financial Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $350.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a report on Monday, December 15th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on shares of Wingstop from $325.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Loop Capital assumed coverage on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Friday, January 9th. They set a “buy” rating and a $317.00 price objective on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Wingstop presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $332.55.

Wingstop Trading Up 0.1%

WING opened at $154.64 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $4.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.82. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $235.23 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $246.00. Wingstop has a 12-month low of $153.11 and a 12-month high of $388.14.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last issued its quarterly 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 company had revenue of $175.69 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $177.74 million. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.92 EPS. Wingstop’s revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Wingstop will post 4.18 EPS for the current year.

Wingstop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared 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. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wingstop

In related news, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 566 shares of the 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 sale, the director directly owned 4,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 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 directly owned 2,583 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Wingstop by 1,650.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 76.9% in the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 138 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 54.3% in the third quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 142 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 197.9% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 143 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Holdings LLC bought a new stake in Wingstop during the third quarter valued at approximately $47,000.

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.