Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Cut to “Sell” at Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Saturday morning.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the company. Benchmark dropped their price objective on Wingstop from $340.00 to $320.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, November 5th. Loop Capital began coverage on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Friday. They set a “buy” rating and a $317.00 price target on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $350.00 price objective on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Monday, December 15th. TD Cowen lowered their target price on shares of Wingstop from $320.00 to $280.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating and set a $295.00 target price on shares of Wingstop in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $340.64.

Wingstop Trading Up 3.9%

NASDAQ WING opened at $284.66 on Friday. Wingstop has a 1-year low of $204.00 and a 1-year high of $388.14. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $250.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $279.52. The company has a market capitalization of $7.91 billion, a PE ratio of 46.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.13 and a beta of 1.77.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The restaurant operator reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.18. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.17% and a net margin of 25.51%.The firm had revenue of $175.74 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $189.10 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.88 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 8.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts predict that Wingstop will post 4.18 EPS for the current year.

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, December 12th. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 21st were given a $0.30 dividend. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 21st. Wingstop’s payout ratio is currently 19.54%.

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 sale, the director owned 5,283 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,373,421.51. This trade represents a 4.85% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.72% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Wingstop

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WING. Baird Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Wingstop during the first quarter valued at about $256,000. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its stake in Wingstop by 90.7% during the first quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 2,836 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $640,000 after acquiring an additional 1,349 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in Wingstop by 2,770.6% in the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,952 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $440,000 after acquiring an additional 1,884 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its position in shares of Wingstop by 5.6% in the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 92,439 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $20,852,000 after acquiring an additional 4,937 shares during the period. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 121.4% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 217 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares in the last quarter.

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.