Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the nineteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and thirteen have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $368.74.

Several brokerages have commented on WING. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $375.00 to $300.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, November 4th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Wingstop from $450.00 to $365.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 31st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised Wingstop from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $458.00 to $377.00 in a report on Friday, November 8th. Barclays lowered their target price on Wingstop from $470.00 to $380.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Finally, Benchmark upgraded Wingstop from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $340.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st.

Insider Activity at Wingstop

In other news, SVP Raj Kapoor sold 266 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $324.38, for a total transaction of $86,285.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 266 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $86,285.08. The trade was a 50.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.36% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wingstop

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Hollencrest Capital Management bought a new position in shares of Wingstop in the 2nd quarter worth $27,000. True Wealth Design LLC bought a new position in Wingstop in the third quarter valued at $36,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC increased its stake in Wingstop by 60.6% in the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 106 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in Wingstop by 384.6% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 126 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $53,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Wingstop by 942.3% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 271 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $113,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter.

Wingstop Stock Down 0.7 %

WING stock opened at $272.92 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $7.97 billion, a PE ratio of 79.57, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.81. The business has a 50 day moving average of $308.26 and a 200-day moving average of $355.62. Wingstop has a 12-month low of $266.45 and a 12-month high of $433.86.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.88 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by ($0.09). The business had revenue of $162.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.24 million. Wingstop had a net margin of 17.05% and a negative return on equity of 22.69%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 38.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.69 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that Wingstop will post 3.67 earnings per share for the current year.

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were given a dividend of $0.27 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.40%. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.49%.

Wingstop announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Thursday, December 5th that allows the company to repurchase $500.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the restaurant operator to buy up to 5.1% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wingstop Company Profile

Wingstop Inc, together with its subsidiaries, franchises and operates restaurants under the Wingstop brand. Its restaurants offer classic wings, boneless wings, tenders, and hand-sauced-and-tossed in various flavors, as well as chicken sandwiches with fries and hand-cut carrots and celery that are cooked-to-order.