Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Issues Quarterly Earnings Results, Beats Estimates By $0.16 EPS

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) announced its earnings results on Wednesday. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.16, FiscalAI reports. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.17% and a net margin of 25.51%.The business had revenue of $175.69 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $177.74 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.92 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year.

Wingstop Trading Up 14.0%

Shares of WING traded up $35.17 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $286.95. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,001,847 shares, compared to its average volume of 703,902. Wingstop has a 52 week low of $204.00 and a 52 week high of $388.14. The stock has a market cap of $7.97 billion, a PE ratio of 46.82, a P/E/G ratio of 2.79 and a beta of 1.80. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $258.63 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $267.92.

Key Headlines Impacting Wingstop

Here are the key news stories impacting Wingstop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly EPS topped expectations — Wingstop reported $1.00 EPS vs. ~ $0.84–$0.85 consensus, driven by revenue growth and margin improvement. That beat is the immediate catalyst for the rally. Wingstop (WING) Q4 Earnings Surpass Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Management highlighted margin strength (adjusted EBITDA expansion) and guidance that implies acceleration — investors view better margins plus a confident outlook as supportive for earnings and multiple expansion. Press Release — Q4 & FY2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Unit expansion remains a growth engine — Wingstop opened a record 493 net new restaurants in 2025 (19.2% unit growth), which helped systemwide sales growth and supports multi-year revenue/operating leverage when comps normalize. Wingstop Inc. Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Financial Results
• Positive Sentiment: Capital return (share buybacks) reduced outstanding shares ~4–5% and, combined with cash flow, underpins EPS upside and investor confidence — a likely reason for analyst revisions/positive commentary. MarketBeat coverage and analyst reaction
• Neutral Sentiment: Pre-earnings positioning and short-interest dynamics amplified moves into the report — reduced short exposure can magnify rebounds but is also a volatility factor. QuiverQuant analysis of pre-earnings positioning
• Neutral Sentiment: Macro/sector context — food-away-from-home inflation and ETF flows may support longer-term demand for restaurant names, but this is a broad tailwind rather than a company-specific driver. Food inflation / sector context (MarketBeat)
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. comparable-store sales declined in Q4 and management flagged weakness among Hispanic and lower‑income customers — that reduces near-term margin leverage and is a clear demand headwind to monitor. Wingstop Comparable Sales Fall Amid Consumer Weakness (WSJ)
• Negative Sentiment: Balance-sheet/leverage considerations — Wingstop uses debt to fund growth and shows negative equity/negative ROE in filings, which is a risk if cash flow or comps deteriorate. Investors should watch leverage and capital-return pacing. Press Release — Q4 & FY2025 Results (financials)

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Wingstop news, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 269 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $259.97, for a total value of $69,931.93. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 5,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,373,421.51. The trade was a 4.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WING. Steadfast Capital Management LP grew its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 296.2% in the third quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP now owns 950,521 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $239,227,000 after purchasing an additional 710,621 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP bought a new stake in Wingstop during the 2nd quarter valued at $114,758,000. Ameriprise Financial Inc. boosted its position in Wingstop by 119.0% during the 3rd quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 499,066 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $125,605,000 after buying an additional 271,177 shares during the period. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. boosted its position in Wingstop by 214.8% during the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 344,654 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $82,196,000 after buying an additional 235,173 shares during the period. Finally, Holocene Advisors LP bought a new stake in Wingstop in the 2nd quarter worth $46,886,000.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently commented on WING. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Wingstop in a report on Monday, December 29th. Northcoast Research upgraded shares of Wingstop from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $300.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group decreased their price target on shares of Wingstop from $370.00 to $330.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $267.00 to $286.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on shares of Wingstop from $365.00 to $330.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $338.93.

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.