Wingstop Inc. $WING Shares Sold by Stephens Investment Management Group LLC

Stephens Investment Management Group LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) by 35.5% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 196,893 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 108,388 shares during the period. Stephens Investment Management Group LLC’s holdings in Wingstop were worth $30,513,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in WING. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Wingstop during the first quarter worth about $10,206,000. Leonteq Securities AG grew its stake in shares of Wingstop by 915.2% in the first quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 1,005 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $156,000 after buying an additional 906 shares in the last quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA grew its stake in shares of Wingstop by 4.7% in the first quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA now owns 4,361 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $676,000 after buying an additional 195 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 59.2% during the 1st quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 572,082 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $88,656,000 after buying an additional 212,730 shares during the period. Finally, Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of Wingstop during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,255,000.

Wingstop Price Performance

Shares of WING stock opened at $177.99 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $4.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 44.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.79. Wingstop Inc. has a 1-year low of $116.35 and a 1-year high of $381.45. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $152.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $203.37.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 earnings per share (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 $183.72 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $187.82 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.99 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.57 EPS for the current year.

Wingstop Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 29.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the company. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and issued a $305.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a report on Thursday, May 28th. Wolfe Research assumed coverage on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Monday, March 9th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $320.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays dropped their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $330.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on shares of Wingstop from $325.00 to $250.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Wingstop from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-four have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Wingstop currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $260.89.

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.