Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the thirty-three ratings firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, twenty-three have given a buy rating and four have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $336.0741.

WING has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $350.00 to $340.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Thursday. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Wingstop from $300.00 to $315.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Wingstop from $290.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Wingstop from $267.00 to $286.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th.

Wingstop Stock Performance

Shares of WING opened at $260.89 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $260.26 and a 200 day simple moving average of $266.35. Wingstop has a 52-week low of $204.00 and a 52-week high of $388.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.17 billion, a PE ratio of 42.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.86 and a beta of 1.80.

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

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, March 6th. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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 value of $69,931.93. Following the sale, the director owned 5,283 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,373,421.51. The trade was a 4.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.72% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wingstop

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Freedom Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in Wingstop by 2.2% during the 2nd 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 increased its position in shares of Wingstop by 3.9% in 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. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in Wingstop by 17.3% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 265 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $67,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. YANKCOM Partnership raised its holdings in Wingstop by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. YANKCOM Partnership now owns 426 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $102,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Personal CFO Solutions LLC boosted its position in Wingstop by 4.6% during the second quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 997 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $336,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter.

Key Headlines Impacting Wingstop

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.