Wingstop’s (WING) Hold Rating Reiterated at TD Cowen

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING)‘s stock had its “hold” rating reaffirmed by research analysts at TD Cowen in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $175.00 price objective on the restaurant operator’s stock. TD Cowen’s price target indicates a potential upside of 4.33% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the stock. Loop Capital initiated coverage on shares of Wingstop in a report on Friday, January 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $317.00 price objective on the stock. Benchmark decreased their target price on shares of Wingstop from $320.00 to $285.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Wingstop from $330.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 31st. BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Monday, March 30th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $275.00 target price for the company. Finally, Mizuho decreased their target price on shares of Wingstop from $320.00 to $310.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have assigned a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $302.62.

Wingstop Trading Down 3.0%

Shares of NASDAQ WING traded down $5.23 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $167.74. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 3,216,109 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,063,842. Wingstop has a fifty-two week low of $142.24 and a fifty-two week high of $388.14. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.92, a PEG ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 2.03. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $199.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $234.69.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.04 by $0.14. Wingstop had a net margin of 25.01% and a negative return on equity of 16.12%. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Wingstop will post 4.52 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Wingstop news, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares of Wingstop stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.73, for a total transaction of $703,971.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 2,583 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $673,465.59. The trade was a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 566 shares of Wingstop stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $141,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,093,750. This trade represents a 11.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wingstop

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its position in Wingstop by 1,650.0% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its position in Wingstop by 76.9% during the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 138 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in shares of Wingstop by 197.9% in the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 143 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $34,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Wingstop by 54.3% in 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 during the period. Finally, GW&K Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Wingstop by 75.7% in the fourth quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 188 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the period.

Key Headlines Impacting Wingstop

Here are the key news stories impacting Wingstop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat and margin strength — Wingstop reported EPS of $1.18, topping consensus, with revenue up ~7.4% year-over-year and double-digit adjusted EBITDA growth, showing profitability resilience. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns boosted — the company declared a dividend and expanded its share repurchase program, which supports cash-return expectations for investors. TipRanks Article
• Positive Sentiment: Strong unit expansion and system-wide sales — 97 net new openings in Q1 (?17% unit growth) and $1.4B in system-wide sales underpin longer-term growth runway from new restaurants. Press Release
• Neutral Sentiment: Notable investor interest — hedge fund Lone Pine (Stephen Mandel) remains bullish/positioned in Wingstop, which may provide a vote of confidence but doesn’t guarantee near-term price support. InsiderMonkey Article
• Neutral Sentiment: Brand initiatives (new flavors/marketing) continue to engage customers — positive for unit-level traffic but impact on comps and margins is incremental. MSN Article
• Negative Sentiment: Same-store sales weakness and cautious outlook — management flagged softer comparable-sales trends and gave guidance that investors interpreted as conservative, which was the main driver of the intra-day sell-off. Benzinga Article
• Negative Sentiment: Technical/valuation and some metric caution — the stock is trading well below its 50- and 200-day moving averages and the company shows a negative ROE noted by some reports, which can amplify downside in a risk-off reaction. MarketBeat Snapshot

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.