Analysts Set Expectations for Wingstop FY2026 Earnings

Key Points

• William Blair analysts have revised their FY2026 earnings per share estimate for Wingstop down to $4.92, from a previous estimate of $5.04.
• The Goldman Sachs Group has decreased its price target on Wingstop from $430.00 to $370.00, while UBS Group increased its target from $335.00 to $385.00.
• Wingstop recently raised its quarterly dividend to $0.30 per share, with an annualized dividend yield of 0.5%, reflecting a growth from the previous $0.27.

Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING - Free Report) - Analysts at William Blair decreased their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Wingstop in a research report issued on Tuesday, October 7th. William Blair analyst S. Zackfia now anticipates that the restaurant operator will post earnings per share of $4.92 for the year, down from their prior estimate of $5.04. William Blair currently has a "Outperform" rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Wingstop's current full-year earnings is $4.18 per share.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on WING. The Goldman Sachs Group dropped their price target on Wingstop from $430.00 to $370.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, September 30th. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Wingstop from $335.00 to $385.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on Wingstop in a research note on Wednesday, July 9th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $280.00 price objective for the company. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Wingstop from $296.00 to $321.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 15th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Wingstop from $275.00 to $345.00 and gave the company a "market perform" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 31st. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have assigned a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $374.54.

Wingstop Stock Up 0.3%

NASDAQ WING opened at $249.75 on Friday. Wingstop has a twelve month low of $204.00 and a twelve month high of $407.09. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.97 billion, a PE ratio of 41.63, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 1.78. The stock's 50 day moving average is $296.74 and its 200 day moving average is $297.45.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 30th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.88 by $0.12. The firm had revenue of $174.33 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $172.60 million. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 17.07% and a net margin of 25.61%.The business's quarterly revenue was up 12.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.93 EPS.

Wingstop Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 5th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were issued a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Wingstop's previous quarterly dividend of $0.27. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.5%. Wingstop's dividend payout ratio is presently 20.00%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Wingstop news, CEO Michael Skipworth sold 4,500 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $370.34, for a total value of $1,666,530.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 42,777 shares in the company, valued at $15,842,034.18. This represents a 9.52% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Alex Kaleida sold 5,400 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $376.09, for a total value of $2,030,886.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer owned 8,362 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,144,864.58. The trade was a 39.24% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 21,838 shares of company stock valued at $8,118,535 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.72% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Wingstop

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of WING. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. purchased a new stake in Wingstop in the first quarter worth about $212,672,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in Wingstop by 43.2% in the first quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 1,646,934 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $371,517,000 after buying an additional 496,717 shares in the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its position in Wingstop by 130.7% in the first quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 631,989 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $142,564,000 after buying an additional 358,044 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Wingstop in the second quarter worth about $118,211,000. Finally, Wasatch Advisors LP purchased a new stake in Wingstop in the second quarter worth about $114,758,000.

Wingstop Company Profile

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.

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