Nuveen Asset Management LLC Grows Holdings in Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING)

Nuveen Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING - Free Report) by 85.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 233,219 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after acquiring an additional 107,695 shares during the quarter. Nuveen Asset Management LLC owned 0.80% of Wingstop worth $66,281,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Wingstop in the fourth quarter worth $10,177,000. SG Americas Securities LLC grew its position in Wingstop by 277.5% during the fourth quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 4,771 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $1,356,000 after buying an additional 3,507 shares during the period. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd grew its position in Wingstop by 779.1% during the fourth quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 18,461 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $5,247,000 after buying an additional 16,361 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC grew its position in Wingstop by 475.0% during the fourth quarter. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC now owns 69,234 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $19,676,000 after buying an additional 57,193 shares during the period. Finally, Versor Investments LP grew its position in Wingstop by 149.0% during the fourth quarter. Versor Investments LP now owns 5,309 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $1,509,000 after buying an additional 3,177 shares during the period.

Wingstop Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:WING traded up $1.33 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $322.47. The company's stock had a trading volume of 479,171 shares, compared to its average volume of 622,955. The business's 50 day simple moving average is $250.08 and its 200 day simple moving average is $275.93. The company has a market cap of $9.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 86.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.80. Wingstop Inc. has a 12-month low of $204.00 and a 12-month high of $433.86.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The restaurant operator reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $171.09 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $172.25 million. Wingstop had a net margin of 17.37% and a negative return on equity of 21.59%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 17.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.98 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, June 6th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.27 per share. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.33%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 16th. Wingstop's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.09%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Wingstop news, SVP Raj Kapoor sold 637 shares of Wingstop stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $273.07, for a total transaction of $173,945.59. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 517 shares of the company's stock, valued at $141,177.19. The trade was a 55.20% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.72% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the stock. Stephens restated an "overweight" rating and set a $385.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Wednesday, May 14th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on shares of Wingstop from $350.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of Wingstop from $389.00 to $375.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 20th. Gordon Haskett upgraded shares of Wingstop to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. Finally, Cowen restated a "buy" rating on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eighteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Wingstop currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $333.96.

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.