Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Sets New 52-Week Low – Time to Sell?

Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING)’s share price reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $116.25 and last traded at $116.7440, with a volume of 1112815 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $123.86.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Monday. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Wingstop from $264.00 to $234.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $237.00 to $208.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $330.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $241.81.

Wingstop Price Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $3.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.81. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $149.34 and a 200 day moving average price of $182.85.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $185.56 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $190.25 million. Wingstop had a net margin of 16.15% and a negative return on equity of 16.31%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $1.00 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Wingstop Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.1%. This is an increase from Wingstop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 31.35%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wingstop

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vident Advisory LLC grew its stake in Wingstop by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 959 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $229,000 after purchasing an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its position in shares of Wingstop by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,628 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $627,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund raised its stake in shares of Wingstop by 1.1% during the 1st quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 5,672 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $879,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 76.9% in the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 138 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al boosted its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 4,784 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,141,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter.

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.