Insider Selling: First Watch Restaurant Group (NASDAQ:FWRG) CFO Sells $48,552.56 in Stock

First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:FWRG) CFO H Melville Hope III sold 3,878 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $12.52, for a total value of $48,552.56. Following the sale, the chief financial officer directly owned 111,787 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,399,573.24. This represents a 3.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

H Melville Hope III also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, March 10th, H Melville Hope III sold 7,358 shares of First Watch Restaurant Group stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.59, for a total value of $92,637.22.

First Watch Restaurant Group Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FWRG opened at $12.20 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $745.60 million, a P/E ratio of 39.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 0.92. The company’s 50-day moving average is $14.86 and its 200 day moving average is $16.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 0.25 and a current ratio of 0.29. First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $11.44 and a fifty-two week high of $20.55.

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

More First Watch Restaurant Group News

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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FWRG has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Barclays dropped their price objective on First Watch Restaurant Group from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Guggenheim decreased their target price on First Watch Restaurant Group from $23.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Piper Sandler restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $19.00 target price on shares of First Watch Restaurant Group in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Stephens dropped their price target on First Watch Restaurant Group from $24.00 to $21.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Zacks Research raised First Watch Restaurant Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have assigned a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, First Watch Restaurant Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $19.75.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On First Watch Restaurant Group

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Jones Financial Companies Lllp bought a new position in First Watch Restaurant Group in the 3rd quarter worth about $30,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. bought a new stake in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group during the 4th quarter valued at about $63,000. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group during the fourth quarter worth about $64,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group during the fourth quarter worth about $66,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets increased its position in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group by 61.9% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,375 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 1,673 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.11% of the company’s stock.

First Watch Restaurant Group Company Profile

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.