Wingstop Inc. $WING Shares Sold by Victory Capital Management Inc.

Key Points

• Victory Capital Management trimmed its Wingstop stake by 7.2% (sold 5,538 shares), even as large institutions like Norges Bank, Wasatch, Artisan, MFS and American Century added sizable positions totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.
• Insider selling accelerated: Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares (~$704k), cutting his holdings by ~51%, and Director Wesley McDonald sold 566 shares; insiders now own just 0.72% of the stock.
• Analyst and fundamentals update: Wolfe Research initiated coverage at Outperform with a $320 target and Truist maintains a $374 Buy, while Wingstop recently beat EPS estimates ($1.00 vs. $0.84) and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.30 (annualized $1.20, 0.6% yield).

Victory Capital Management Inc. reduced its holdings in Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING - Free Report) by 7.2% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 71,581 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after selling 5,538 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. owned about 0.26% of Wingstop worth $18,016,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Wingstop during the 2nd quarter worth about $118,211,000. Wasatch Advisors LP purchased a new position in shares of Wingstop in the 2nd quarter valued at about $114,758,000. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership raised its holdings in Wingstop by 83.1% in the 2nd quarter. Artisan Partners Limited Partnership now owns 737,369 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $248,302,000 after purchasing an additional 334,583 shares during the period. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA raised its holdings in Wingstop by 50.0% in the 3rd quarter. Massachusetts Financial Services Co. MA now owns 949,033 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $238,853,000 after purchasing an additional 316,328 shares during the period. Finally, American Century Companies Inc. boosted its position in Wingstop by 23.3% during the second quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 1,557,383 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $524,433,000 after purchasing an additional 294,786 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Transactions at Wingstop

In other Wingstop news, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 566 shares of Wingstop stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total transaction of $141,500.00. Following the transaction, 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $260.73, for a total transaction of $703,971.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 2,583 shares in the company, valued at $673,465.59. The trade was a 51.11% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.72% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Trending Headlines about Wingstop

Here are the key news stories impacting Wingstop this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wolfe Research initiated coverage on WING with an Outperform and $320 price target (implies ~47% upside), which supports bullish investor views and likely underpins buying interest. Wolfe Research coverage
• Positive Sentiment: DA Davidson reportedly assigned a Buy rating, adding to positive analyst momentum that can lift sentiment and counteract near-term weakness. DA Davidson Buy
• Positive Sentiment: Bank of America (and coverage summaries) lists Wingstop among top restaurant ideas, reinforcing institutional interest in the name. BofA restaurant list
• Neutral Sentiment: Marketing and limited-time menu activity: Wingstop rolled out a new limited-edition flavour in the U.K. (Bolton) and related promotional coverage — supports brand engagement and local sales but is not a material earnings driver. Bolton flavour launch
• Neutral Sentiment: More promotional push: Wingstop released a collectible 32-oz “Big A$$ Ranch Cup” (500 units in NYC & Dallas) and other limited-edition ranch marketing tied to National Ranch Day — good for PR and traffic but limited in scale. Big A$$ Ranch Cup PR
• Neutral Sentiment: Additional media coverage highlights the UK promo and fan reaction around IWD events — positive for brand awareness but unlikely to move fundamentals. UK IWD coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Insider selling: Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares (~$704k) on Feb. 25, representing ~51% of his direct holdings at the time — big percentage sales by insiders can spook investors even if amounts are relatively small vs. market cap. Director sale report
• Negative Sentiment: Product experiments and menu tests (e.g., “Fry Shake Up” and “Dragon’s Breath” tests) have drawn headlines about potentially polarizing initiatives that could test investor patience if they distract from core unit economics or same-store sales momentum. Fry Shake / Dragon's Breath

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently commented on WING shares. Wall Street Zen cut Wingstop from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research report on Saturday, February 7th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Wingstop in a report on Monday. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. Truist Financial set a $374.00 price objective on shares of Wingstop and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Melius Research set a $350.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a research report on Tuesday, January 20th. Finally, Mizuho decreased their price target on shares of Wingstop from $320.00 to $310.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-five have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $337.29.

Wingstop Stock Performance

Shares of Wingstop stock opened at $217.37 on Wednesday. The business's 50 day moving average price is $258.52 and its 200 day moving average price is $258.90. The company has a market cap of $5.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.17, a PEG ratio of 2.45 and a beta of 1.82. Wingstop Inc. has a one year low of $204.00 and a one year high of $388.14.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results 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. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 25.01%.The company had revenue of $175.69 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $177.74 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.92 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.18 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wingstop Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Investors of record on Friday, March 6th will be given a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. Wingstop's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 19.42%.

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.

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