Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. Acquires 48,681 Shares of Wingstop Inc. $WING

Key Points

• Mirae Asset dramatically increased its Wingstop stake in Q4, buying an additional 48,681 shares (a 2,955.7% rise) to hold 50,328 shares worth about $12.0 million, representing roughly 0.18% of the company.
• Several other large institutions have also been adding to WING—new and expanded positions from firms like Lone Pine, Steadfast, Massachusetts Financial Services, Capital World Investors and Wasatch—signaling notable institutional accumulation.
• Operationally, Wingstop beat Q4 EPS estimates ($1.00 vs. $0.84) with revenue up 8.6% year‑over‑year (though slightly below estimates), a 25.0% net margin, a $0.30 quarterly dividend (0.6% yield), and a consensus analyst view of a "Moderate Buy" with an average target around $311.76.

Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING - Free Report) by 2,955.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 50,328 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 48,681 shares during the period. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. owned 0.18% of Wingstop worth $12,003,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in WING. Lone Pine Capital LLC purchased a new position in Wingstop during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $375,317,000. Steadfast Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Wingstop by 296.2% during the 3rd quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP now owns 950,521 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $239,227,000 after buying an additional 710,621 shares in the last quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA grew its holdings in Wingstop by 48.1% during the 4th quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 1,405,894 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $335,292,000 after buying an additional 456,861 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in Wingstop by 160.6% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 740,896 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $186,469,000 after buying an additional 456,637 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wasatch Advisors LP purchased a new position in Wingstop during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $114,758,000.

Wingstop Price Performance

NASDAQ:WING opened at $196.34 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $5.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.77, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 2.03. Wingstop Inc. has a 1 year low of $142.24 and a 1 year high of $388.14. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $207.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $237.79.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.16. The business had revenue of $175.69 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $177.74 million. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 25.01%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.92 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Wingstop

In other news, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares of the firm'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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 2,583 shares of the company's stock, valued at $673,465.59. This trade represents a 51.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 566 shares of the firm'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 sale, 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on WING shares. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Wingstop from $345.00 to $265.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 6th. DA Davidson started coverage on Wingstop in a report on Friday, March 6th. They set a "buy" rating and a $330.00 price target for the company. Wall Street Zen upgraded Wingstop from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $375.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Piper Sandler upgraded Wingstop from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and cut their price target for the company from $283.00 to $190.00 in a report on Thursday, April 2nd. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-seven have issued a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Wingstop has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $311.76.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.