Laura Anne Sorensen Sells 1,697 Shares of First Watch Restaurant Group (NASDAQ:FWRG) Stock

First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:FWRG) insider Laura Anne Sorensen sold 1,697 shares of First Watch Restaurant Group stock in a transaction on Tuesday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.52, for a total transaction of $21,246.44. Following the sale, the insider directly owned 237,353 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,971,659.56. This represents a 0.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Laura Anne Sorensen also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Tuesday, March 10th, Laura Anne Sorensen sold 4,732 shares of First Watch Restaurant Group stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $12.59, for a total transaction of $59,575.88.

First Watch Restaurant Group Stock Down 1.6%

FWRG opened at $12.20 on Friday. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $14.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.11. First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. has a 52 week low of $11.44 and a 52 week high of $20.55. The company has a quick ratio of 0.25, a current ratio of 0.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The stock has a market cap of $745.60 million, a PE ratio of 39.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.49 and a beta of 0.92.

First Watch Restaurant Group (NASDAQ:FWRG) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, February 24th. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.08 by $0.16. First Watch Restaurant Group had a return on equity of 3.20% and a net margin of 1.59%.The firm had revenue of $316.35 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $317.49 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.01 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 20.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. will post 0.32 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

First Watch Restaurant Group News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting First Watch Restaurant Group this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Company beat on earnings in its Feb. 24 quarterly report (EPS $0.24 vs. $0.08 expected) and revenue rose ~20% year-over-year — the operational recovery and beat support upside potential. Read More.
• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street coverage is largely constructive: multiple Buy/Overweight ratings and a consensus price target (~$19.75) signal analyst confidence above current levels, which can limit downside.
• Positive Sentiment: Several hedge funds and institutional investors have increased positions in prior quarters (e.g., Stephens Investment Management, Deepwater Asset Management), indicating continued institutional interest. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Business profile: daytime-focused casual-dining concept with expanding footprint — attractive growth story but sensitive to consumer spending and labor/commodity costs. Read More.
• Neutral Sentiment: Balance-sheet/liquidity signals are mixed (low current/quick ratios vs. modest debt-to-equity); these fundamentals could matter if macro conditions deteriorate. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: CEO Christopher Tomasso sold 25,062 shares (~$313,776 at ~$12.52), reducing his stake ~2.55% — largest and most market-visible insider sale this round. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: CFO H. Melville Hope III sold 3,878 shares (~$48,553), a ~3.35% reduction. Read More.
• Negative Sentiment: Other insiders (Jay Wolszczak, Matthew Eisenacher, Laura Sorensen, John D. Jones) executed modest sales on the same date (each thousands of shares), signaling coordinated/portfolio-driven selling that can pressure near-term sentiment. Read More. Read More. Read More. Read More.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On First Watch Restaurant Group

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Jones Financial Companies Lllp purchased a new position in First Watch Restaurant Group in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. purchased a new stake in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $63,000. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $64,000. Kemnay Advisory Services Inc. bought a new position in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group in the fourth quarter worth approximately $66,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets grew its holdings in shares of First Watch Restaurant Group by 61.9% in the second quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 4,375 shares of the company’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 1,673 shares during the last quarter. 96.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Zacks Research raised First Watch Restaurant Group from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 10th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of First Watch Restaurant Group in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of First Watch Restaurant Group from $26.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. Guggenheim cut their price objective on shares of First Watch Restaurant Group from $23.00 to $21.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Stephens reduced their target price on shares of First Watch Restaurant Group from $24.00 to $21.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have issued a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, First Watch Restaurant Group presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $19.75.

First Watch Restaurant Group Company Profile

First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc (NASDAQ: FWRG) operates a specialty daytime dining concept focused on breakfast, brunch and lunch. The company’s casual, full-service cafés emphasize fresh ingredients, made-to-order entrées and a seasonally driven menu that ranges from omelets and Benedicts to salads, skillets and afternoon sandwiches. First Watch positions itself as a daytime-only destination, with most locations opening early morning and closing by mid-afternoon.

Founded in 1983 by Ken Pendery and John Sullivan in Pacific Grove, California, First Watch began as a single café and gradually expanded through company-owned and select franchised locations.