Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) Given Average Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by Brokerages

Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING - Get Free Report) has been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the nineteen brokerages that are covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $373.00.

WING has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on Wingstop from $407.00 to $458.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, August 1st. Stephens cut their price target on Wingstop from $490.00 to $468.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 31st. TD Cowen cut their target price on Wingstop from $450.00 to $365.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, October 31st. Raymond James upgraded Wingstop from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $42.00 target price for the company in a research note on Thursday, August 1st. Finally, Wedbush restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $390.00 target price on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Tuesday.

Wingstop Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ WING traded up $11.59 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $308.77. The stock had a trading volume of 747,965 shares, compared to its average volume of 455,161. The company has a market capitalization of $9.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 89.27, a P/E/G ratio of 2.74 and a beta of 1.76. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $385.96 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $387.03. Wingstop has a 52 week low of $204.01 and a 52 week high of $433.86.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.97 by ($0.09). The firm had revenue of $162.50 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $160.24 million. Wingstop had a net margin of 17.05% and a negative return on equity of 22.69%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 38.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.69 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Wingstop will post 3.72 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wingstop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 6th. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.35%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Wingstop's payout ratio is presently 31.49%.

Insider Transactions at Wingstop

In related news, SVP Donnie Upshaw sold 3,199 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $372.71, for a total value of $1,192,299.29. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 97 shares in the company, valued at $36,152.87. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.36% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Wingstop

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hollencrest Capital Management bought a new position in Wingstop during the second quarter worth about $27,000. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Wingstop during the second quarter worth about $34,000. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV boosted its holdings in Wingstop by 60.3% during the second quarter. Massmutual Trust Co. FSB ADV now owns 93 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $39,000 after buying an additional 35 shares during the last quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC boosted its holdings in Wingstop by 60.6% during the third quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 106 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $44,000 after buying an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. raised its position in shares of Wingstop by 384.6% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 126 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $53,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period.

About Wingstop

Wingstop Inc, together with its subsidiaries, franchises and operates restaurants under the Wingstop brand. Its restaurants offer classic wings, boneless wings, tenders, and hand-sauced-and-tossed in various flavors, as well as chicken sandwiches with fries and hand-cut carrots and celery that are cooked-to-order.