Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Sees Large Volume Increase – Should You Buy?

Shares of Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) saw strong trading volume on Wednesday . Approximately 1,102,610 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 3% from the previous session’s volume of 1,138,233 shares.The stock last traded at $173.4020 and had previously closed at $173.41.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on WING. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Wingstop from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $290.00 to $190.00 in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Guggenheim reduced their price target on shares of Wingstop from $255.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Barclays decreased their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $330.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $225.00 target price on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Thursday, June 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have given a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $260.89.

Wingstop Stock Up 0.8%

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $152.95 and its 200-day moving average price is $204.39. The company has a market capitalization of $4.76 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 43.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.82.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $183.72 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $187.82 million. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.22% and a net margin of 15.77%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.57 EPS for the current year.

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. Wingstop’s payout ratio is currently 29.85%.

Institutional Trading of Wingstop

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Baird Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Wingstop in the 1st quarter worth $256,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased 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 valued at $440,000 after purchasing an additional 1,884 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake 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 valued at $20,852,000 after buying an additional 4,937 shares during the period. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in Wingstop by 121.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 217 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the period. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Wingstop by 45.5% during the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,387 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $467,000 after buying an additional 434 shares during the last quarter.

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.