Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Given New $215.00 Price Target at Guggenheim

Key Points

• Guggenheim cut its price target on Wingstop from $255 to $215 but kept a "buy" rating, implying roughly a 33.96% upside from the stock's prior close.
• Analyst views are mixed: MarketBeat shows a consensus of "Moderate Buy" with an average price target of $282.41, while individual targets range widely (about $215–$320), indicating divergent expectations.
• In the latest quarter Wingstop delivered an EPS beat ($1.18 vs. $1.02 est.) but slightly missed on revenue ($183.73M vs. $187.82M est.), and several company directors have recently sold shares.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING - Get Free Report) had its price objective dropped by equities researchers at Guggenheim from $255.00 to $215.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a "buy" rating on the restaurant operator's stock. Guggenheim's target price suggests a potential upside of 33.96% from the stock's previous close.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and set a $255.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Thursday. Citigroup lowered their price objective on Wingstop from $230.00 to $229.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on Wingstop from $325.00 to $250.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Loop Capital started coverage on Wingstop in a research note on Friday, January 9th. They set a "buy" rating and a $317.00 target price for the company. Finally, Wolfe Research started coverage on Wingstop in a report on Monday, March 9th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $320.00 price target for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-six have assigned a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Wingstop currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $282.41.

Wingstop Price Performance

NASDAQ:WING opened at $160.50 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $4.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 1.86. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $195.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $233.46. Wingstop has a 1-year low of $142.24 and a 1-year high of $388.14.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 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 company had revenue of $183.73 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $187.82 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. Wingstop's quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts expect that Wingstop will post 4.57 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wingstop

In other news, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 566 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $250.00, for a total value of $141,500.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 4,375 shares in the company, valued at $1,093,750. This trade represents a 11.46% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares of Wingstop stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.73, for a total value of $703,971.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 2,583 shares of the company's stock, valued at $673,465.59. This trade represents a 51.11% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Wingstop

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WING. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its position in Wingstop by 123.9% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 102,687 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $25,861,000 after buying an additional 56,833 shares in the last quarter. Lone Pine Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Wingstop in the third quarter valued at $375,317,000. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 17.1% during the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 57,586 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $14,493,000 after acquiring an additional 8,414 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 160.6% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 740,896 shares of the restaurant operator's stock valued at $186,469,000 after acquiring an additional 456,637 shares during the last quarter. Finally, SG Americas Securities LLC increased its position in Wingstop by 553.3% during the 4th quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 41,349 shares of the restaurant operator's stock worth $9,861,000 after purchasing an additional 35,020 shares in the last quarter.

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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