Royal Bank Of Canada Has Lowered Expectations for Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Stock Price

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) had its price objective lowered by equities research analysts at Royal Bank Of Canada from $350.00 to $340.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. The brokerage presently has an “outperform” rating on the restaurant operator’s stock. Royal Bank Of Canada’s target price indicates a potential upside of 27.07% from the stock’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also recently issued reports on WING. Barclays increased their target price on Wingstop from $295.00 to $335.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 7th. TD Cowen reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $285.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Wednesday. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Wingstop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Benchmark cut their target price on shares of Wingstop from $340.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Wingstop from $267.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued 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.com, Wingstop has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $336.79.

Wingstop Stock Performance

NASDAQ WING traded down $11.51 during trading on Thursday, hitting $267.57. The stock had a trading volume of 193,912 shares, compared to its average volume of 749,377. The company has a market capitalization of $7.44 billion, a PE ratio of 43.64, a P/E/G ratio of 3.16 and a beta of 1.80. Wingstop has a 12 month low of $204.00 and a 12 month high of $388.14. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $259.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $268.00.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.16. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.17% and a net margin of 25.51%.The business had revenue of $175.69 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $177.74 million. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.92 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Wingstop will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Wingstop

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of WING. Quaker Wealth Management LLC increased its position in Wingstop by 134.2% during the 2nd quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 104 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 408 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its stake in Wingstop by 1,650.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in Wingstop by 4,200.0% during the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 129 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted 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 buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Wingstop by 54.3% during the third quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 142 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter.

More Wingstop News

Here are the key news stories impacting Wingstop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and upbeat guidance — Wingstop reported $1.00 EPS vs. $0.84 expected, showed strong margin improvement (adjusted EBITDA lift), and issued 2026 targets that signal accelerating store growth and modest domestic comps. PR Newswire – Q4 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Unit expansion and tech initiatives — 493 net new openings in 2025, international expansion and emphasis on AI-powered “Smart Kitchen” tools and loyalty/digital initiatives that boost off?premise efficiency and revenue mix. QSR Magazine – AI Kitchens & Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst bullishness and price-target lifts — Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” with a $375 PT and BTIG reiterated a “buy” with a $400 PT, helping push sentiment and justify upside expectations. TickerReport – Stephens Benzinga – BTIG note
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns — management continues buybacks that materially reduced share count in Q4/fiscal 2025 and declared a modest quarterly dividend, supporting EPS accretion and investor confidence. MarketBeat – Capital Returns
• Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst views persist — TD Cowen kept a “hold” rating with a $285 PT, underscoring some caution despite upgrades from others. The Fly – TD Cowen
• Neutral Sentiment: Volatility/positioning factors — elevated short interest and pre-earnings positioning likely amplified the move (short covering/options flows), making near-term swings larger than fundamentals alone. QuiverQuant – Volatility Analysis
• Negative Sentiment: Same-store sales pressure — Wingstop reported its first full-year same-store sales decline in 22 years and revenue slightly missed estimates, a clear headwind for near-term domestic growth. Franchise Times – Comp Decline
• Negative Sentiment: Franchisee performance concerns — analysts/commentary flagged execution issues with some franchisees and a Seeking Alpha piece outlined a rating downgrade tied to franchisee underperformance, which could pressure comps if unresolved. Seeking Alpha – Franchisee Concerns

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.