Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) Stock Has Average Price Target of $222.43

Shares of Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) have earned an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty-nine ratings firms that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have assigned a hold recommendation, twenty-two have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $222.43.

Several brokerages recently issued reports on WING. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their price objective on Wingstop from $150.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 29th. Mizuho dropped their target price on shares of Wingstop from $240.00 to $200.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, October 23rd. Benchmark cut their price target on shares of Wingstop from $285.00 to $245.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $120.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a report on Thursday, October 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Wingstop from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th.

Wingstop Trading Up 8.9%

WING stock opened at $163.04 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $116.05 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $164.01. The firm has a market cap of $4.44 billion, a PE ratio of 38.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.81. Wingstop has a 1-year low of $95.82 and a 1-year high of $302.80.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 28th. The restaurant operator reported $1.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $185.13 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $192.89 million. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 15.80% and a net margin of 16.03%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.09 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Wingstop will post 4.19 earnings per share for the current year.

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 4th. Investors of record on Friday, November 13th will be given a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 13th. Wingstop’s payout ratio is currently 30.99%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Wesley Mcdonald sold 1,520 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, October 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $145.11, for a total value of $220,567.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,986 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $578,408.46. This represents a 27.61% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, COO Raj Kapoor sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $163.61, for a total value of $409,025.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 1,659 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $271,428.99. This trade represents a 60.11% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. CenterBook Partners LP bought a new stake in Wingstop during the third quarter worth about $2,256,000. Bridge City Capital LLC boosted its position in Wingstop by 21.4% during the third quarter. Bridge City Capital LLC now owns 16,443 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,733,000 after purchasing an additional 2,902 shares during the last quarter. Vise Technologies Inc. bought a new position in Wingstop in the third quarter valued at approximately $248,000. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. grew its stake in Wingstop by 161.2% in the third quarter. Pinnacle Wealth Planning Services Inc. now owns 350 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 216 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in Wingstop by 35.0% in the third quarter. Hilton Head Capital Partners LLC now owns 409 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 106 shares in the last quarter.

Wingstop Company Profile

Wingstop Inc is a franchised restaurant company specializing in cooked-to-order chicken wings and related menu items. Its offerings include classic and boneless wings prepared with a range of flavors, along with chicken sandwiches, tenders, fries, seasoned fries, dips, sides and beverages. The company emphasizes made-to-order food, a digital ordering experience and a menu centered on customizable chicken meals.

Founded in 1994 in Garland, Texas, Wingstop has expanded from a single restaurant into a global brand operated primarily through franchised locations.