Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Trading Up 6.1% – Here’s Why

Shares of Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) traded up 6.1% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $205.95 and last traded at $204.9390. 240,568 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 72% from the average session volume of 864,312 shares. The stock had previously closed at $193.11.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have issued reports on WING shares. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on shares of Wingstop from $350.00 to $340.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Wall Street Zen lowered Wingstop from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Saturday, February 7th. Barclays decreased their target price on Wingstop from $335.00 to $330.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Stephens reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and set a $375.00 target price on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on Wingstop from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $337.29.

Wingstop Stock Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average is $257.02 and its 200 day moving average is $258.09. The stock has a market cap of $5.47 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.82.

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 the consensus estimate 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $177.74 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.92 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Wingstop Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.6%. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio is 19.42%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 566 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $141,500.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,093,750. This trade represents a 11.46% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares of Wingstop stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.73, for a total value of $703,971.00. Following the sale, the director owned 2,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $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. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wingstop

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Baird Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Wingstop in the first quarter worth approximately $256,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 2,770.6% in the 1st 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 boosted 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 purchasing an additional 4,937 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Wingstop by 121.4% during 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its position 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.