TD Cowen Reiterates Hold Rating for Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING)

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING)‘s stock had its “hold” rating reissued by investment analysts at TD Cowen in a research note issued on Wednesday, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have a $285.00 price target on the restaurant operator’s stock. TD Cowen’s price target points to a potential upside of 9.62% from the stock’s current price.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on shares of Wingstop from $300.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on Wingstop from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 9th. BTIG Research dropped their price target on Wingstop from $430.00 to $400.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and issued a $295.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $336.07.

Wingstop Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WING opened at $259.99 on Wednesday. Wingstop has a one year low of $204.00 and a one year high of $388.14. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $259.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $267.94. The stock has a market cap of $7.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 42.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.51 and a beta of 1.80.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $175.69 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $177.74 million. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 25.01%.Wingstop’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.92 EPS. On average, equities research analysts predict that Wingstop will post 4.18 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 269 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $259.97, for a total transaction of $69,931.93. Following the transaction, the director owned 5,283 shares in the company, valued at $1,373,421.51. This trade represents a 4.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.72% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Wingstop

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Quaker Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 134.2% in the second quarter. Quaker Wealth Management LLC now owns 104 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 408 shares in the last quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC raised its position in shares of Wingstop by 1,650.0% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 99 shares during the period. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 4,200.0% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 129 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its position 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 purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Wingstop by 54.3% in the 3rd quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 142 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter.

Key Headlines Impacting Wingstop

Here are the key news stories impacting Wingstop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 earnings beat and margin improvement — Wingstop delivered $1.00 EPS vs. $0.84 consensus and reported stronger adjusted EBITDA and margin outcomes that relieved investor fears about profitability. PR Newswire: Q4 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Aggressive unit expansion and international growth — 493 net new openings in 2025 (20% YoY unit growth) and new international markets support long‑term revenue leverage and offset weaker domestic comps. PR Newswire: Openings/Expansion
• Positive Sentiment: Guidance and capital returns underpin outlook — Management gave 2026 targets (low‑single‑digit domestic comps, continued strong unit growth) while maintaining buybacks/dividend, which supports shareholder returns. MarketBeat: Guidance & Capital Return
• Neutral Sentiment: Digital/AI initiatives could help margins but are early — Wingstop highlighted Smart Kitchen and AI tools to speed off‑premise orders and boost digital sales; promising but execution and scale matter. QSR: AI Kitchens & Loyalty
• Negative Sentiment: Domestic same‑store sales weakness — Wingstop reported its first full‑year decline in comps in 22 years and flagged Hispanic and lower‑income customer weakness, a core demand concern for near‑term growth. Barron’s: Comps Decline
• Negative Sentiment: Franchisee performance concerns and a downgrade narrative — Coverage pointed to franchisee execution issues that could pressure operations and margins if not resolved. Seeking Alpha: Franchisee Performance
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst price‑target trims — RBC and Barclays cut targets (RBC 350→340, Barclays 335→330) despite keeping bullish ratings, adding short‑term downward pressure alongside mixed analyst actions; other firms reaffirmed higher targets. The Fly: RBC PT Cut

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.