Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Price Target Lowered to $255.00 at Guggenheim

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) had its price objective trimmed by Guggenheim from $315.00 to $255.00 in a report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

A number of other brokerages also recently issued reports on WING. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Friday, March 27th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Wingstop from $325.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on Wingstop from $363.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. BNP Paribas Exane began coverage on Wingstop in a research report on Monday. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Wingstop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have given 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 presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $326.86.

Wingstop Stock Down 6.5%

Shares of Wingstop stock opened at $144.87 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 2.03. Wingstop has a twelve month low of $144.68 and a twelve month high of $388.14. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $230.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $244.51.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping 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 firm had revenue of $175.69 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $177.74 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Wingstop will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders 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 0.8%. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.42%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Wingstop news, 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 transaction, the director owned 2,583 shares in the company, valued at $673,465.59. The trade was a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, 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 directly owned 4,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,093,750. The trade was a 11.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wingstop

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in WING. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. grew its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 175.7% during the 4th quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 521 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $124,000 after purchasing an additional 332 shares during the last quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC boosted its position in Wingstop by 32.9% in the fourth quarter. Corient Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,220 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $529,000 after buying an additional 549 shares in the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Wingstop by 59.2% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 5,940 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,417,000 after buying an additional 2,210 shares in the last quarter. Virtu Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Wingstop during the fourth quarter worth $603,000. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Wingstop during the fourth quarter worth $63,000.

Key Headlines Impacting Wingstop

Here are the key news stories impacting Wingstop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: New openings and international growth continue: Wingstop opened a downtown Spokane location and the UK&I business opened a second site in Reading, supporting long‑term unit growth and franchise revenue potential. Spokane opening Reading opening
• Positive Sentiment: Positive media and marketing momentum: features highlighting Wingstop’s brand strength and reasons to own the stock, plus coverage of influencer-driven marketing in Australia, bolster the growth narrative and customer demand outlook. 3 Big Reasons to Love Wingstop Aussie influencers
• Neutral Sentiment: BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage, which can add liquidity and attention but its near-term impact depends on the stance and modeling in the report. BNP Paribas Exane initiation
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts are reworking expectations: coverage pieces note a shifting investment story as Street models are adjusted; this signals uncertainty but also a reset that could set up clearer targets. Investment story shifting
• Negative Sentiment: Price-target cuts from major firms pressured sentiment: Wells Fargo trimmed its target from $330 to $225 (still overweight), and Guggenheim lowered its target from $315 to $255 (still a buy). Lower targets signal reduced near‑term growth expectations and likely contributed to selling pressure. Wells Fargo trim Guggenheim note
• Negative Sentiment: Shares sold off into the session and hit near‑term lows on higher-than-average volume, amplifying downside pressure as traders reacted to the analyst moves and reset expectations. Zacks: stock sinks

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.