Insider Selling: First Watch Restaurant Group (NASDAQ:FWRG) Insider Sells $88,104.82 in Stock

First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:FWRG) insider Jay Anthony Wolszczak sold 6,998 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.59, for a total value of $88,104.82. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 232,091 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,922,025.69. The trade was a 2.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

First Watch Restaurant Group Trading Down 1.5%

Shares of FWRG opened at $11.53 on Friday. First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. has a 1-year low of $11.44 and a 1-year high of $20.55. The company has a market capitalization of $704.94 million, a P/E ratio of 37.19, a P/E/G ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a current ratio of 0.29 and a quick ratio of 0.25. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.32.

First Watch Restaurant Group (NASDAQ:FWRG) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.24 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 analysts’ expectations of $317.49 million. First Watch Restaurant Group had a net margin of 1.59% and a return on equity of 3.20%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.01 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Trending Headlines about First Watch Restaurant Group

Here are the key news stories impacting First Watch Restaurant Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Recent quarterly results showed an EPS beat (reported $0.24 vs. $0.08 consensus) and ~20% year-over-year revenue growth, which supports the company’s near-term fundamentals. Earnings & company page
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains largely constructive — multiple Buy/Overweight ratings and an average target (~$19.75) sit well above the current price, indicating upside if execution continues. Analyst note
• Neutral Sentiment: Institutional ownership is very high (~96%), which can reduce retail-driven volatility but means flows from large holders will disproportionately move the stock. Institutional holdings
• Neutral Sentiment: Valuation and liquidity: FWRG sits below its 50- and 200-day moving averages and near its 52-week low; balance-sheet ratios (low current/quick ratios) and modest near-term margins mean upside may require sustained margin improvement. Financial snapshot
• Negative Sentiment: CFO insider sale: CFO H. Melville Hope III sold 7,358 shares at $12.59 on March 10 (≈6% reduction in his stake). High‑profile officer selling often raises short-term investor concern. CFO Form 4
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple other insider trims: Several executives (Jay Wolszczak, Matthew Eisenacher, John D. Jones, Laura Sorensen) sold between ~4,600–7,000 shares each at $12.59 on March 10, collectively reducing positions and pressuring market sentiment. Sample Form 4

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Watch Restaurant Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FWRG. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake 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 boosted its stake in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,576,182 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,849,000 after purchasing an additional 133,402 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group by 51.7% in the second quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 2,335,883 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,468,000 after purchasing an additional 796,191 shares during the last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group by 13.4% in the second quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 2,281,137 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,589,000 after purchasing an additional 269,726 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group by 1.8% in the second 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 period. 96.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on FWRG. DA Davidson began coverage on First Watch Restaurant Group in a report on Friday, March 6th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $17.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup dropped their target price on First Watch Restaurant Group from $26.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Zacks Research raised First Watch Restaurant Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Barclays reduced their price target on shares of First Watch Restaurant Group from $19.00 to $17.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, TD Cowen lowered their price objective on shares of First Watch Restaurant Group from $21.00 to $18.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average 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.