Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) Hits New 1-Year Low – Should You Sell?

Shares of Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The stock traded as low as $110.44 and last traded at $111.36, with a volume of 1271494 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $117.52.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have weighed in on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered shares of Wingstop from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $290.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of Wingstop from $237.00 to $208.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Wingstop in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim cut their price objective on Wingstop from $255.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Wingstop presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $241.81.

Wingstop Price Performance

The stock has a market cap of $3.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.81. The business has a fifty day moving average of $147.73 and a 200 day moving average of $180.04.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. Wingstop had a net margin of 16.15% and a negative return on equity of 16.31%. The company had revenue of $185.56 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $190.25 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.00 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current year.

Wingstop Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Wingstop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.50%.

Institutional Trading of Wingstop

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Wingstop by 76.9% in the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 138 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. boosted its position in Wingstop by 197.9% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 143 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares during the period. GW&K Investment Management LLC boosted its position in Wingstop by 75.7% during the fourth quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 188 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $45,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP acquired a new position in Wingstop during the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Finally, Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its holdings in Wingstop by 121.4% during the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 217 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during 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.