Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Given New $330.00 Price Target at Barclays

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) had its price objective decreased by Barclays from $335.00 to $330.00 in a report issued on Thursday morning, MarketBeat reports. Barclays currently has an overweight rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other brokerages also recently commented on WING. Mizuho lowered their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $320.00 to $310.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Wingstop from $365.00 to $330.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Wingstop from $267.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Northcoast Research upgraded Wingstop from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $295.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Tuesday, October 28th. Four equities research 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $336.07.

Wingstop Stock Up 1.2%

Shares of Wingstop stock traded up $3.18 during trading on Thursday, hitting $263.17. 71,169 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 770,794. The stock has a market cap of $7.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.54, a PEG ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.80. Wingstop has a 52 week low of $204.00 and a 52 week high of $388.14. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $259.76 and its 200-day moving average is $267.94.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share 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 analyst estimates of $177.74 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.92 EPS. Wingstop’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts forecast that Wingstop will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.54%.

Insider Transactions at Wingstop

In other news, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 269 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $259.97, for a total value of $69,931.93. Following the sale, the director directly owned 5,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,373,421.51. This represents a 4.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wingstop

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

Key Headlines Impacting Wingstop

Here are the key news stories impacting Wingstop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Earnings and margin beat — Wingstop reported $1.00 EPS (vs. ~$0.84 expected) with adjusted EBITDA and margins better than feared, which drove the immediate rally. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Unit growth and guidance support upside — management projects low-single-digit domestic comps but ~15% global store-count growth and continues aggressive openings (493 new units in 2025), underpinning revenue and long-term leverage improvements. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: New growth levers — investments in Smart Kitchen (AI order fulfillment), digital acceleration and a loyalty push are positioned to improve off?premise throughput and AUVs, helping margins over time. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns — ongoing buybacks (notable share-count reduction in Q4) and a newly announced quarterly dividend reinforce capital-return narratives that support the stock. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst activity — several firms reaffirm bullish ratings and high targets (Stephens, BTIG) while others trimmed price targets modestly (RBC, Barclays) yet kept overweight/outperform stances, leaving consensus upside but with differing conviction. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage caution — TD Cowen reiterated a Hold and flagged persistent comp pressures despite the beat, tempering some investor enthusiasm. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Domestic traffic weakness — Wingstop reported its first full-year same-store sales decline in 22 years and a notable domestic comp drop, a core risk to near-term growth and valuation. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and franchisee issues — revenue slightly missed consensus and analysts/activists have flagged franchisee performance and execution risks, which could pressure comps and sentiment if not resolved. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Leverage and short-interest risks — Wingstop is moderately leveraged with relatively high short interest (~14%), which can amplify downside on renewed traffic worries. Read More.

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.