Mizuho Markets Cayman LP Buys Shares of 35,950 Wingstop Inc. $WING

Key Points

• Mizuho Markets Cayman LP bought a new stake in Wingstop during the fourth quarter, purchasing 35,950 shares valued at about $8.6 million.
• Wingstop recently reported better-than-expected EPS of $1.18, though revenue came in slightly below estimates at $183.73 million, and sales still rose 7.4% year over year.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, while analysts currently maintain a consensus rating of Moderate Buy with an average price target of $278.21.

Mizuho Markets Cayman LP bought a new stake in Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 35,950 shares of the restaurant operator's stock, valued at approximately $8,574,000. Mizuho Markets Cayman LP owned approximately 0.13% of Wingstop as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WING. Baird Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Wingstop in the 1st quarter valued at $256,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,884 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake 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 valued at $20,852,000 after purchasing an additional 4,937 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 45.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,387 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $467,000 after purchasing an additional 434 shares during the last quarter.

Wingstop Trading Up 5.8%

WING opened at $140.41 on Friday. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $164.84 and its 200 day moving average price is $222.03. Wingstop Inc. has a 12-month low of $116.35 and a 12-month high of $388.14. The firm has a market cap of $3.82 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.93, a PEG ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.86.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.22% and a net margin of 15.77%.The firm had revenue of $183.73 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $187.82 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. Wingstop's revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. Wingstop's dividend payout ratio is presently 29.85%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup decreased their price target on Wingstop from $230.00 to $229.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Stephens decreased their price target on Wingstop from $300.00 to $225.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Wingstop from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $290.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Weiss Ratings lowered Wingstop from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Wingstop from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $278.21.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.73, for a total transaction of $703,971.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 2,583 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $673,465.59. This represents a 51.11% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 566 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $141,500.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 4,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,093,750. The trade was a 11.46% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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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