Wingstop’s (WING) Overweight Rating Reiterated at Stephens

Stephens restated their overweight rating on shares of Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) in a report issued on Thursday,Benzinga reports. Stephens currently has a $375.00 price target on the restaurant operator’s stock.

Several other equities analysts have also commented on WING. Truist Financial set a $374.00 target price on Wingstop and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $363.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $285.00 price objective on shares of Wingstop in a report on Wednesday. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and issued a $295.00 target price on shares of Wingstop in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Wingstop from $300.00 to $290.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, January 7th. Four equities research 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $336.07.

Wingstop Price Performance

NASDAQ:WING opened at $260.89 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $7.17 billion, a PE ratio of 42.22, a P/E/G ratio of 3.30 and a beta of 1.80. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $260.26 and a 200-day simple moving average of $266.84. Wingstop has a 1-year low of $204.00 and a 1-year high of $388.14.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $175.69 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $177.74 million. Wingstop had a net margin of 25.01% and a negative return on equity of 16.12%. Wingstop’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.92 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Wingstop will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Wingstop

In other news, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 269 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $259.97, for a total value of $69,931.93. Following the transaction, the director owned 5,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,373,421.51. This trade represents a 4.85% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Wingstop

Large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its stake 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 in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Wingstop by 76.9% in the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 197.9% during the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 143 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the period. Quaker Wealth Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 134.2% during the 2nd 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 during the period. Finally, CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in Wingstop by 54.3% during the 3rd quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 142 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 50 shares in the last quarter.

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

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.