Royal Bank Of Canada Cuts Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Price Target to $340.00

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) had its target price decreased by Royal Bank Of Canada from $350.00 to $340.00 in a research report sent to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat.com reports. Royal Bank Of Canada currently has an outperform rating on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Other analysts also recently issued research reports about the company. TD Cowen restated a “hold” rating and set a $285.00 price objective on shares of Wingstop in a report on Wednesday. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $400.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Wingstop from $365.00 to $330.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $267.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Wingstop from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday. Four analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Wingstop presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $336.07.

Wingstop Stock Performance

NASDAQ WING opened at $260.89 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 42.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.80. The business’s fifty day moving average is $260.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $266.84. Wingstop has a 1 year low of $204.00 and a 1 year high of $388.14.

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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.84 by $0.16. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 25.01%.The company had revenue of $175.69 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $177.74 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.92 earnings per share. Wingstop’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that Wingstop will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Wingstop Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.42%.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 269 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 5,283 shares in the company, valued at $1,373,421.51. The trade was a 4.85% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.72% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Freedom Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Wingstop by 2.2% during the second quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,371 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $462,000 after buying an additional 30 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Wingstop by 3.9% during the 4th 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 period. Allworth Financial LP grew its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 17.3% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 265 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $67,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership grew its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 10.1% during the 4th quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 426 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $102,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Personal CFO Solutions LLC increased its position in shares of Wingstop by 4.6% in the second quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 997 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period.

Wingstop News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Wingstop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat and constructive guidance — Wingstop reported stronger-than-expected EPS and improved adjusted EBITDA margins, and management guided to low-single-digit domestic comps and ~15% global unit growth, which supports an earnings acceleration thesis. Investors Have WING. Do They Need a Prayer?
• Positive Sentiment: Unit growth & tech-led off-premise gains — Wingstop added ~20% more stores year-over-year and highlighted Smart Kitchen (AI order prioritization) and ~75% digital growth as levers to boost AUVs and operating leverage as comps recover. After Rare Sales Decline, Wingstop Targets AI Kitchens, Loyalty, and Marketing to Reignite Growth
• Positive Sentiment: Shareholder returns and institutional buying — Aggressive buybacks (reducing share count ~4–5% in Q4) plus a modest dividend and heavy institutional ownership / buying provide technical and capital-return support that can amplify rallies and prompt short-covering. Investors Have WING. Do They Need a Prayer?
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst moves are mixed — Several firms reaffirm or raise targets (Stephens, BTIG) while others trimmed targets modestly (RBC, Barclays) but many still show sizable upside, producing divergent near-term sentiment despite broader bullish coverage. Analyst Ratings and Targets
• Neutral Sentiment: Street reaction shows caution — TD Cowen reiterated a Hold, reflecting a wait-and-see stance despite the beat; the market is sorting whether growth will be comp-led or unit-led. TD Cowen Reiterates Hold for Wingstop
• Negative Sentiment: Comp pressure and rising competition — Wingstop reported its first annual same-store sales decline in decades; analysts warn competition (the “fried chicken” arms race and other chains) and commoditization of customization could limit pricing power and premium multiples. Wingstop Reports First Same-Store Annual Sales Decline in 22 Years
• Negative Sentiment: Franchisee execution & capital allocation critique — Short reports and some sell-side commentary point to weaker franchisee performance, heavy reliance on new-unit openings for growth, and most FCF being returned to buybacks/dividends rather than reinvested in operations — risks to sustainable comp recovery. Losing Patience With Poor Franchisee Performance
• Negative Sentiment: Broader macro/traffic headwinds — Coverage notes winter storms and weaker traffic trends pressured Q4 comps; management actions (loyalty, marketing, AI kitchens) aim to offset but execution risk remains. How Wingstop plans to weather traffic slides and winter storms

Wingstop Company Profile

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.