Quantitative Investment Management LLC Buys New Stake in Wingstop Inc. $WING

Quantitative Investment Management LLC bought a new position in Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 13,451 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $3,385,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC boosted its holdings in Wingstop by 1,650.0% during the third quarter. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC now owns 105 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 99 shares during the period. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Wingstop by 54.3% in the third quarter. CBIZ Investment Advisory Services LLC now owns 142 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. Pinnacle Holdings LLC bought a new position in shares of Wingstop in the third quarter worth about $47,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Wingstop by 121.4% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 217 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Wingstop by 75.9% during the 3rd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 204 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 88 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling at Wingstop

In other news, Director Kilandigalu Madati sold 2,700 shares of Wingstop 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 sale, the director directly owned 2,583 shares in the company, valued at approximately $673,465.59. The trade was a 51.11% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Wesley S. Mcdonald sold 566 shares of the company’s 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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,375 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,093,750. The trade was a 11.46% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.72% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

WING has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating and issued a $285.00 target price on shares of Wingstop in a report on Wednesday, February 18th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on Wingstop from $363.00 to $345.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 20th. Loop Capital assumed coverage on Wingstop in a research report on Friday, January 9th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $317.00 price objective for the company. Mizuho lowered their price objective 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. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on shares of Wingstop from $350.00 to $340.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $337.29.

Wingstop Stock Down 7.5%

Wingstop stock opened at $193.11 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $257.02 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $258.09. Wingstop Inc. has a 12 month low of $192.87 and a 12 month high of $388.14. The stock has a market cap of $5.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 31.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 1.82.

Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The restaurant operator reported $1.00 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.84 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $175.69 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $177.74 million. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.12% and a net margin of 25.01%.Wingstop’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.92 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wingstop Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, March 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, March 6th will be paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, March 6th. This represents a $1.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.6%. Wingstop’s payout ratio is currently 19.42%.

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.