Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Given New $265.00 Price Target at Morgan Stanley

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) had its price target decreased by Morgan Stanley from $345.00 to $265.00 in a report released on Monday, Marketbeat.com reports. Morgan Stanley currently has an overweight rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on Wingstop from $350.00 to $340.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $375.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $400.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Wingstop from $330.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on Wingstop in a research note on Monday, March 30th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 price target for the company. Three 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 issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Wingstop presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $317.48.

Wingstop Stock Performance

Wingstop stock opened at $164.83 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $223.67 and a two-hundred day moving average of $242.21. Wingstop has a one year low of $142.24 and a one year high of $388.14. The stock has a market cap of $4.50 billion, a PE ratio of 26.67, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 2.03.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.16. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 25.01%.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 business posted $0.92 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Wingstop will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wingstop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th were given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Wingstop’s payout ratio is 19.42%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 566 shares of Wingstop stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $141,500.00. Following the sale, the director directly owned 4,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,093,750. The trade was a 11.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares of Wingstop stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the director directly owned 2,583 shares in the company, valued at $673,465.59. This represents a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Wingstop

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 1,650.0% in 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 during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 76.9% in the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 138 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Wingstop in the third quarter worth approximately $47,000.

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.