Sei Investments Co. Sells 19,739 Shares of Wingstop Inc. $WING

Sei Investments Co. decreased its holdings in shares of Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING - Free Report) by 13.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 122,378 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 19,739 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co. owned 0.45% of Wingstop worth $18,960,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WING. Carnegie Investment Counsel boosted its position in Wingstop by 32.4% in the first quarter. Carnegie Investment Counsel now owns 68,489 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $10,614,000 after buying an additional 16,764 shares in the last quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS boosted its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 113.8% during the 4th quarter. Kornitzer Capital Management Inc. KS now owns 11,800 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $2,814,000 after acquiring an additional 6,280 shares in the last quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC grew its position in Wingstop by 472.3% during the 4th quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 9,534 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $2,274,000 after acquiring an additional 7,868 shares during the last quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC raised its position in Wingstop by 813.7% in the fourth quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 84,304 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $20,106,000 after purchasing an additional 75,077 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Wingstop during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,502,000.

Wingstop Stock Performance

NASDAQ:WING opened at $139.45 on Thursday. Wingstop Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $116.35 and a fifty-two week high of $381.45. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $152.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $189.66. The company has a market capitalization of $3.80 billion, a PE ratio of 34.69, a P/E/G ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 1.79.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.16. Wingstop had a net margin of 15.77% and a negative return on equity of 16.22%. The firm had revenue of $185.56 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $190.25 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.00 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.55 EPS for the current year.

Wingstop Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, September 5th. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.33 per share. This is a boost from Wingstop's previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. Wingstop's payout ratio is 29.85%.

Key Stories Impacting Wingstop

Here are the key news stories impacting Wingstop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wingstop reported second-quarter adjusted earnings of $1.18 per share, exceeding the $1.02 analyst consensus and rising from $1.00 a year earlier. Revenue increased 6.5% year over year to $185.56 million. Wingstop Tops Q2 Earnings Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: The company added 102 net restaurants during the quarter, driving 16% unit growth. Management said expansion and other strategic initiatives are intended to support the next phase of growth. Wingstop Fiscal Second-Quarter Results
• Positive Sentiment: Wingstop raised its quarterly dividend by 10% to $0.33 per share, payable September 5 to shareholders of record August 15. The increase signals confidence in cash generation, although the annualized yield remains modest at approximately 0.9%.
• Neutral Sentiment: National Chicken Wing Day promotions and limited-time deals provide additional brand visibility and could support near-term customer traffic, but discounts may also limit the financial benefit. National Chicken Wing Day Deals
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue fell short of Wall Street expectations of approximately $190.25 million, making the top-line miss the main counterweight to the EPS beat. Wingstop Misses Q2 Revenue Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: Management attributed a decline in same-store sales to pressure on consumer spending. That trend raises concerns about demand at existing locations and is particularly important for a restaurant stock trading well below its longer-term moving averages. Wingstop Same-Store Sales Decline

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on WING. TD Cowen reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of Wingstop in a report on Wednesday. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Wingstop from $330.00 to $235.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Wingstop from $229.00 to $237.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Wingstop from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $264.00 to $234.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $255.19.

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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