First Watch Restaurant Group (NASDAQ:FWRG) Insider Sells $34,555.20 in Stock

First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:FWRG) insider Matthew Eisenacher sold 2,760 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.52, for a total value of $34,555.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 67,223 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $841,631.96. This represents a 3.94% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Matthew Eisenacher also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, March 10th, Matthew Eisenacher sold 6,070 shares of First Watch Restaurant Group stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.59, for a total value of $76,421.30.

First Watch Restaurant Group Trading Down 1.6%

Shares of First Watch Restaurant Group stock opened at $12.20 on Friday. First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. has a 12-month low of $11.44 and a 12-month high of $20.55. The company has a market cap of $745.60 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.34, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a current ratio of 0.29, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $14.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $16.09.

First Watch Restaurant Group (NASDAQ:FWRG) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.08 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $316.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $317.49 million. First Watch Restaurant Group had a net margin of 1.59% and a return on equity of 3.20%. First Watch Restaurant Group’s revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.01 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FWRG has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of First Watch Restaurant Group from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Guggenheim dropped their price objective on First Watch Restaurant Group from $23.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. DA Davidson initiated coverage on First Watch Restaurant Group in a research report on Friday, March 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $17.00 target price for the company. Zacks Research upgraded First Watch Restaurant Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price target on First Watch Restaurant Group from $21.00 to $18.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $19.75.

Key Headlines Impacting First Watch Restaurant Group

Here are the key news stories impacting First Watch Restaurant Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company beat on earnings in its Feb. 24 quarterly report (EPS $0.24 vs. $0.08 expected) and revenue rose ~20% year-over-year — the operational recovery and beat support upside potential. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street coverage is largely constructive: multiple Buy/Overweight ratings and a consensus price target (~$19.75) signal analyst confidence above current levels, which can limit downside.
• Positive Sentiment: Several hedge funds and institutional investors have increased positions in prior quarters (e.g., Stephens Investment Management, Deepwater Asset Management), indicating continued institutional interest. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Business profile: daytime-focused casual-dining concept with expanding footprint — attractive growth story but sensitive to consumer spending and labor/commodity costs. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Balance-sheet/liquidity signals are mixed (low current/quick ratios vs. modest debt-to-equity); these fundamentals could matter if macro conditions deteriorate. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Christopher Tomasso sold 25,062 shares (~$313,776 at ~$12.52), reducing his stake ~2.55% — largest and most market-visible insider sale this round. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: CFO H. Melville Hope III sold 3,878 shares (~$48,553), a ~3.35% reduction. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Other insiders (Jay Wolszczak, Matthew Eisenacher, Laura Sorensen, John D. Jones) executed modest sales on the same date (each thousands of shares), signaling coordinated/portfolio-driven selling that can pressure near-term sentiment. Read More. Read More. Read More. Read More.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Watch Restaurant Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Royal Bank of Canada increased its holdings in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group by 67.3% in the 1st quarter. Royal Bank of Canada now owns 54,267 shares of the company’s stock worth $903,000 after buying an additional 21,830 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group by 31.8% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 22,766 shares of the company’s stock worth $379,000 after acquiring an additional 5,497 shares during the last quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group by 30.3% during the 2nd quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 22,082 shares of the company’s stock worth $354,000 after acquiring an additional 5,139 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in First Watch Restaurant Group by 4.2% in the second quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,022,752 shares of the company’s stock worth $16,407,000 after acquiring an additional 40,823 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey increased its stake in First Watch Restaurant Group by 17.3% in the second quarter. Police & Firemen s Retirement System of New Jersey now owns 9,108 shares of the company’s stock valued at $146,000 after acquiring an additional 1,341 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.11% of the company’s stock.

About First Watch Restaurant Group

First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc (NASDAQ: FWRG) operates a specialty daytime dining concept focused on breakfast, brunch and lunch. The company’s casual, full-service cafés emphasize fresh ingredients, made-to-order entrées and a seasonally driven menu that ranges from omelets and Benedicts to salads, skillets and afternoon sandwiches. First Watch positions itself as a daytime-only destination, with most locations opening early morning and closing by mid-afternoon.

Founded in 1983 by Ken Pendery and John Sullivan in Pacific Grove, California, First Watch began as a single café and gradually expanded through company-owned and select franchised locations.