Stephens Investment Management Group LLC Has $72.81 Million Stock Holdings in Wingstop Inc. $WING

Key Points

• Stephens Investment Management Group LLC cut its Wingstop stake by 26.5% in the fourth quarter, but still held 305,281 shares worth about $72.8 million, or roughly 1.1% of the company.
• Wingstop shares were trading at $129.21, near the lower end of their 12-month range, while the stock has also seen recent analyst caution with several firms cutting price targets and Goldman Sachs downgrading it to neutral.
• The company recently reported better-than-expected earnings of $1.18 per share and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, payable on June 5.

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC decreased its position in shares of Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING - Free Report) by 26.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 305,281 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 110,240 shares during the quarter. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC owned approximately 1.10% of Wingstop worth $72,806,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of WING. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC lifted its holdings in Wingstop by 1,650.0% during the 3rd quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 99 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Wingstop by 76.9% during the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 138 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 197.9% in the 4th quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 143 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $34,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Finally, Pinnacle Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Wingstop in the 3rd quarter valued at $47,000.

Wingstop Stock Up 8.6%

WING opened at $129.21 on Friday. Wingstop Inc. has a 12 month low of $116.35 and a 12 month high of $388.14. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $174.02 and a 200 day simple moving average of $225.67. The stock has a market cap of $3.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.14, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.86.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $183.73 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $187.82 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts expect that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.58 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wingstop Announces Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on WING shares. Weiss Ratings downgraded Wingstop from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $255.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Barclays cut their price target on Wingstop from $330.00 to $235.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. DA Davidson reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $250.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Wingstop from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and cut their price target for the company from $290.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $282.41.

About Wingstop

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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