Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Upgraded at Raymond James Financial

Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) from an outperform rating to a strong-buy rating in a report published on Thursday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have $240.00 target price on the restaurant operator’s stock, down from their prior target price of $325.00.

WING has been the subject of a number of other reports. Barclays decreased their price target on Wingstop from $335.00 to $330.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $375.00 price objective on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $335.00 price objective on shares of Wingstop in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on shares of Wingstop from $350.00 to $340.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Wingstop from $330.00 to $225.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued 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, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $320.24.

Wingstop Price Performance

Wingstop stock opened at $152.51 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $225.85 and a 200-day moving average of $242.95. Wingstop has a one year low of $142.24 and a one year high of $388.14. The company has a market cap of $4.17 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.68, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 2.03.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $177.74 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $0.92 EPS. Wingstop’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Wingstop will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current year.

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th were issued a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 19.42%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Wingstop news, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 566 shares of Wingstop stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $141,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 4,375 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,093,750. The trade was a 11.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.73, for a total transaction of $703,971.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,583 shares in the company, valued at approximately $673,465.59. This represents a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Lone Pine Capital LLC bought a new position in Wingstop in the 3rd quarter valued at about $375,317,000. Steadfast Capital Management LP lifted its position in Wingstop by 296.2% during the third quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP now owns 950,521 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $239,227,000 after acquiring an additional 710,621 shares during the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA boosted its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 48.1% during the fourth quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,405,894 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $335,292,000 after acquiring an additional 456,861 shares during the period. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 160.6% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 740,896 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $186,469,000 after acquiring an additional 456,637 shares during the period. Finally, Atreides Management LP acquired a new position in shares of Wingstop in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $93,012,000.

More Wingstop News

Here are the key news stories impacting Wingstop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Raymond James upgraded WING to “strong-buy” and set a $240 price target (lower than prior). The upgrade signals conviction among some sell‑side analysts that the stock is undervalued at current levels. Raymond James upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Piper Sandler upgraded WING from neutral to overweight with a $190 target and published commentary calling the pullback an “attractive entry point.” This supports a buyer narrative despite the lower target. Piper Sandler note
• Positive Sentiment: Coverage note: Guggenheim is cited as initiating/maintaining a Buy on Wingstop in press outlets, which provides some support from a major research shop. Guggenheim buy coverage
• Neutral Sentiment: Coca‑Cola launched a cross‑chain ad campaign including Wingstop and a dozen other restaurant partners to boost beverage sales amid soft diner traffic — a potential marketing tailwind but not an immediate earnings driver. Coca‑Cola ad campaign
• Neutral Sentiment: Wingstop set its fiscal Q1 2026 earnings release and webcast for April 29 — a near-term catalyst that could either calm or exacerbate volatility depending on results and guidance. Earnings date release
• Negative Sentiment: Guggenheim lowered its price target to $255 in a note picked up by outlets — a sign that even buy/hold research is trimming near‑term expectations. Guggenheim PT cut
• Negative Sentiment: Wells Fargo cut its price target to $225, another downgrade to target levels that pressures sentiment and raises questions about near‑term growth assumptions. Wells Fargo PT cut
• Negative Sentiment: News reports flagged an analyst downgrade that coincided with a ~6% intraday drop in the stock and commentary that the market is repricing risk — a clear near‑term negative for momentum. Analyst downgrade / price reaction

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.