Insider Selling: First Watch Restaurant Group (NASDAQ:FWRG) Insider Sells $21,246.44 in Stock

First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:FWRG) insider Laura Anne Sorensen sold 1,697 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.52, for a total value of $21,246.44. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider owned 237,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,971,659.56. This trade represents a 0.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Laura Anne Sorensen also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, March 10th, Laura Anne Sorensen sold 4,732 shares of First Watch Restaurant Group stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.59, for a total transaction of $59,575.88.

First Watch Restaurant Group Price Performance

FWRG stock opened at $12.20 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.29. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $14.86 and a 200-day moving average price of $16.09. First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. has a 52-week low of $11.44 and a 52-week high of $20.55. The firm has a market capitalization of $745.60 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.34, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.92.

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

First Watch Restaurant Group News Summary

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.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Watch Restaurant Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FWRG. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in First Watch Restaurant Group by 15.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 3,320,929 shares of the company’s stock worth $50,080,000 after purchasing an additional 432,634 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group by 5.5% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,576,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,849,000 after buying an additional 133,402 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group by 51.7% during the 2nd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,335,883 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,468,000 after buying an additional 796,191 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group by 13.4% in the 2nd quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,281,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,589,000 after buying an additional 269,726 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its stake in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group by 1.8% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,213,754 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,509,000 after buying an additional 39,648 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.11% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Zacks Research raised First Watch Restaurant Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 10th. Citigroup reduced their target price on First Watch Restaurant Group from $26.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $19.00 price target on shares of First Watch Restaurant Group in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. 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. Finally, DA Davidson began coverage on First Watch Restaurant Group in a research report on Friday, March 6th. They set a “buy” rating and a $17.00 price objective on the stock. 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, First Watch Restaurant Group presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $19.75.

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.