Copeland Capital Management LLC Sells 15,518 Shares of Wingstop Inc. $WING

Key Points

• Copeland Capital Management LLC trimmed its Wingstop stake by 5.4%, selling 15,518 shares in Q4 and now holds 272,030 shares (about 0.98% of the company) valued at roughly $64.88 million, making WING its 17th-largest position (≈1.4% of the portfolio).
• Two directors recently sold stock: Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares at an average $260.73 (~$704k) and Wesley S. McDonald sold 566 shares at $250, leaving insiders with about 0.53% ownership.
• EPS beat: Wingstop reported $1.00 EPS vs. $0.84 expected with revenue up 8.6% year-over-year but slightly below estimates; the company has a $5.1B market cap, a PE of 30.22, pays a $0.30 quarterly dividend (0.6% yield), and carries a consensus "Moderate Buy" price target of $305.55.

Copeland Capital Management LLC trimmed its position in Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING - Free Report) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 272,030 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 15,518 shares during the period. Wingstop makes up approximately 1.4% of Copeland Capital Management LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 17th biggest position. Copeland Capital Management LLC owned approximately 0.98% of Wingstop worth $64,877,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in WING. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC increased its position in Wingstop by 1,650.0% in the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Wingstop by 54.3% in the 3rd quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 142 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Pinnacle Holdings LLC bought a new stake in Wingstop in the 3rd quarter valued at about $47,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in Wingstop by 121.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 217 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in Wingstop by 75.9% in the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 204 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 88 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity at Wingstop

In related news, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.73, for a total value of $703,971.00. Following 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. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 566 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $141,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,093,750. The trade was a 11.46% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wingstop Stock Down 1.7%

Shares of NASDAQ WING opened at $186.74 on Friday. Wingstop Inc. has a twelve month low of $142.24 and a twelve month high of $388.14. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $203.02 and its 200-day moving average price is $236.21. The company has a market capitalization of $5.10 billion, a PE ratio of 30.22, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 2.03.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 EPS 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 business had revenue of $175.69 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $177.74 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.92 earnings per share. Wingstop's revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts expect that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.53 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th were paid a $0.30 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Wingstop's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.42%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

WING has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Truist Financial set a $374.00 price objective on Wingstop and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Wingstop from $330.00 to $225.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, March 31st. Raymond James Financial raised Wingstop from an "outperform" rating to a "strong-buy" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $325.00 to $240.00 in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. BTIG Research reissued a "buy" rating and set a $400.00 price objective on shares of Wingstop in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane initiated coverage on Wingstop in a report on Monday, March 30th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $275.00 price objective for the company. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have given a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Wingstop presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $305.55.

Wingstop 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.

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