Analysts Set Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) PT at $241.81

Shares of Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-one ratings firms that are presently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation, twenty-two have assigned a buy recommendation and two have assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $240.3333.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on WING shares. 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 note on Thursday, July 30th. BTIG Research cut their target price on shares of Wingstop from $305.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Wingstop to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, August 24th. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating on shares of Wingstop in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Mizuho cut their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $280.00 to $240.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 24th.

Key Wingstop News

Here are the key news stories impacting Wingstop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wingstop introduced its first-ever Wing Pass, offering customers a season-long promotion tied to football season. Reports that the initial offering sold out suggest strong consumer interest and could support traffic, brand engagement, and near-term sales. Wingstop sells out of first-ever Wing Pass offering incredible deal
• Positive Sentiment: The company also launched a limited-time Lemon Pepper Trio for football season. Seasonal menu innovation and marketing may help drive customer visits and same-store sales during a key promotional period. Wingstop kicks off football season with Lemon Pepper Trio
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts collectively maintain a “Moderate Buy” average rating, providing some support for the stock despite recent estimate and valuation concerns. Wingstop analyst rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent market commentary noted that WING advanced even as the broader market weakened, indicating relative strength. However, this type of price action does not by itself establish a change in earnings fundamentals. Wingstop rises as market takes a dip
• Neutral Sentiment: The reported September short-interest figures show zero shares and a zero-day days-to-cover ratio, but the accompanying “NaN” change suggests the data may be incomplete or erroneous. Investors should not rely on it as a meaningful short-squeeze signal.
• Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen cut its price target from $160 to $120 and downgraded its stance to Hold, leaving only modest implied upside. The reduction signals weaker confidence in Wingstop’s valuation or growth outlook. Read More: Benzinga
• Negative Sentiment: A recent valuation analysis said the stock is more reasonably valued after its decline but warned that fundamentals remain questionable, including concerns about growth durability and operating performance. Wingstop valuation improves but fundamentals are questionable

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wingstop

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

Wingstop Stock Performance

WING stock opened at $117.10 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $126.93 and a 200-day moving average price of $156.11. Wingstop has a 1-year low of $105.43 and a 1-year high of $302.80. The firm has a market cap of $3.19 billion, a PE ratio of 27.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.79.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $185.56 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $190.25 million. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.31% and a net margin of 16.15%.The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.00 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that Wingstop will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Wingstop Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, August 15th were paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. This is a boost from Wingstop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 14th. Wingstop’s payout ratio is 31.35%.

About Wingstop

Wingstop Inc is a fast-casual restaurant company specializing in cooked-to-order chicken wings and tenders. Its menu also includes fries, seasoned fries, dipping sauces, and beverages, with offerings built around a range of signature flavors and sauces. The company primarily operates through a franchise-based model.

Wingstop was founded in 1994 in Garland, Texas, and has expanded from its original location into a global restaurant brand. Its restaurants serve customers across the United States and in international markets through a network of franchised and company-operated locations.

Wingstop became a publicly traded company in 2015.