Wingstop (WING - Free Report) has recently been on Zacks.com's list of the most searched stocks. Therefore, you might want to consider some of the key factors that could influence the stock's performance in the near future.
Over the past month, shares of this restaurant chain have returned +22.6%, compared to the Zacks S&P 500 composite's no change. During this period, the Zacks Retail - Restaurants industry, which Wingstop falls in, has gained 2.2%. The key question now is: What could be the stock's future direction?
While media releases or rumors about a substantial change in a company's business prospects usually make its stock 'trending' and lead to an immediate price change, there are always some fundamental facts that eventually dominate the buy-and-hold decision-making.
Earnings Estimate RevisionsRather than focusing on anything else, we at Zacks prioritize evaluating the change in a company's earnings projection. This is because we believe the fair value for its stock is determined by the present value of its future stream of earnings.
We essentially look at how sell-side analysts covering the stock are revising their earnings estimates to reflect the impact of the latest business trends. And if earnings estimates go up for a company, the fair value for its stock goes up. A higher fair value than the current market price drives investors' interest in buying the stock, leading to its price moving higher. This is why empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.
Wingstop is expected to post earnings of $1.03 per share for the current quarter, representing a year-over-year change of -5.5%. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate has changed -2.1%.
For the current fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $4.45 points to a change of +9.1% from the prior year. Over the last 30 days, this estimate has changed -1%.
For the next fiscal year, the consensus earnings estimate of $5.27 indicates a change of +18.5% from what Wingstop is expected to report a year ago. Over the past month, the estimate has changed -0.9%.
Having a strong externally audited track record, our proprietary stock rating tool, the Zacks Rank, offers a more conclusive picture of a stock's price direction in the near term, since it effectively harnesses the power of earnings estimate revisions. Due to the size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, Wingstop is rated Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
The chart below shows the evolution of the company's forward 12-month consensus EPS estimate:
12 Month EPS
Projected Revenue GrowthEven though a company's earnings growth is arguably the best indicator of its financial health, nothing much happens if it cannot raise its revenues. It's almost impossible for a company to grow its earnings without growing its revenue for long periods. Therefore, knowing a company's potential revenue growth is crucial.
For Wingstop, the consensus sales estimate for the current quarter of $193.31 million indicates a year-over-year change of +10%. For the current and next fiscal years, $761.91 million and $873.73 million estimates indicate +9.3% and +14.7% changes, respectively.
Last Reported Results and Surprise HistoryWingstop reported revenues of $185.56 million in the last reported quarter, representing a year-over-year change of +6.4%. EPS of $1.18 for the same period compares with $1 a year ago.
Compared to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $190.11 million, the reported revenues represent a surprise of -2.39%. The EPS surprise was +15.69%.
The company beat consensus EPS estimates in each of the trailing four quarters. The company topped consensus revenue estimates times over this period.
ValuationWithout considering a stock's valuation, no investment decision can be efficient. In predicting a stock's future price performance, it's crucial to determine whether its current price correctly reflects the intrinsic value of the underlying business and the company's growth prospects.
Comparing the current value of a company's valuation multiples, such as its price-to-earnings (P/E), price-to-sales (P/S), and price-to-cash flow (P/CF), to its own historical values helps ascertain whether its stock is fairly valued, overvalued, or undervalued, whereas comparing the company relative to its peers on these parameters gives a good sense of how reasonable its stock price is.
As part of the Zacks Style Scores system, the Zacks Value Style Score (which evaluates both traditional and unconventional valuation metrics) organizes stocks into five groups ranging from A to F (A is better than B; B is better than C; and so on), making it helpful in identifying whether a stock is overvalued, rightly valued, or temporarily undervalued.
Wingstop is graded D on this front, indicating that it is trading at a premium to its peers. Click here to see the values of some of the valuation metrics that have driven this grade.
ConclusionThe facts discussed here and much other information on Zacks.com might help determine whether or not it's worthwhile paying attention to the market buzz about Wingstop. However, its Zacks Rank #4 does suggest that it may underperform the broader market in the near term.
On October 21, 2026, Wingstop Inc WING shares fell 8.0% to close at $119.95. This decline continues a challenging performance trend for the stock, which has experienced a 52-week range from $95.82 to $302.80.
GF Value™ verdict: The stock is currently priced at $119.95, which is 68.8% below the GF Value™ estimate of $384.71.GF Score™: With a score of 83/100, this indicates a strong performance relative to various financial metrics.Notable signal: Insider activity shows that insiders sold $1.0 million worth of shares over the past 12 months, with no buying activity observed.Is WING Overvalued or Undervalued?Wingstop Inc WING is currently trading at $119.95, significantly below its estimated fair value of $384.71 according to GF Value™, which suggests the stock is undervalued by approximately 68.8%. This presents a potential opportunity for investors looking for undervalued stocks, with a substantial margin of safety indicated by the difference between the current price and the GF Value™. The GF Value™ is GuruFocus' proprietary estimate of intrinsic value, calculated based on historical trading multiples, historical business growth, and projections of future performance.
Despite the attractive valuation indicated by the GF Value™, investors should approach with caution. The stock has seen a decline of 49.4% year-to-date and 54.7% over the past year, suggesting underlying challenges that could affect future growth. The significant drop in price may reflect market sentiment or operational issues that need to be carefully analyzed before considering any investment.
How Does WING's Valuation Compare to Its History?MetricCurrentHistoricalP/E (TTM)28.5x85.0x (5-Year Median)Forward P/E22.6xN/ACurrently, Wingstop's P/E ratio of 28.5x is significantly below its 5-year median P/E of 85.0x, indicating that the stock is trading at a lower valuation compared to its historical standards. This aligns with the GF Value™ assessment that the stock is undervalued, providing additional justification for the discrepancy between the current market price and intrinsic value.
What Does WING's GF Score™ Tell Us?The GF Score™ is a comprehensive measure that evaluates a company's financial health and growth potential based on various factors including profitability, financial stability, growth prospects, valuation, and momentum. Wingstop's score of 83/100 is indicative of a strong overall performance, particularly with its perfect rankings of 10/10 in both profitability and growth. However, the valuation rank of 2/10 suggests that the stock may be overvalued relative to its financial performance.
MetricRatingGF Score™83Financial Strength4/10Profitability10/10Growth10/10Valuation2/10Momentum4/10This overall score reflects Wingstop's strong profitability and growth potential, but the low valuation rank indicates caution regarding its current market price. Investors may want to weigh the strong operational performance against the perceived overvaluation risk.
What Are Gurus and Insiders Doing with WING?Currently, 9 gurus hold Wingstop stock, with 7 increasing their positions and 3 trimming their stakes in recent quarters. This indicates a generally positive sentiment among institutional investors, as most are willing to add to their holdings despite the stock's recent volatility. Such signals can indicate confidence in the company's long-term potential, highlighting the need for investors to consider broader market sentiment.
On the insider front, the sale of $1.0 million worth of shares by insiders over the past 12 months, with no reported purchases, raises some concerns. This selling activity could suggest that insiders lack confidence in the stock's near-term outlook, contrasting with the positive actions of institutional investors. Such a divergence in behavior warrants careful consideration for potential investors.
What This Means for InvestorsBased on the analysis of the GF Value™, Wingstop Inc WING appears to be significantly undervalued at its current price of $119.95, compared to the GF Value™ estimate of $384.71. However, the challenges reflected in the stock's recent performance and insider selling activity suggest that investors need to proceed with caution. As always, thorough due diligence and consideration of market conditions are recommended.
For a deeper dive into Wingstop's financials and other metrics, visit the Wingstop Inc WING stock page.
Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat is WING's GF Score™?
The GF Score™ for Wingstop is 83/100, indicating strong performance across various financial metrics.
Is WING overvalued or undervalued?
Wingstop is currently undervalued, with a GF Value™ estimate of $384.71 compared to its current price of $119.95.
What is WING's P/E ratio?
WING's P/E ratio is 28.5x, which is significantly below its 5-year median P/E of 85.0x, confirming the stock's undervaluation relative to its historical performance.
This stock alert was generated using automated technology and GuruFocus financial data to provide readers with timely and accurate market reporting. This content was reviewed by GuruFocus editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
Disclosures
I/We may personally own shares in some of the companies mentioned above. However, those positions are not material to either the company or to my/our portfolios.
The market expects Wingstop (WING - Free Report) to deliver a year-over-year decline in earnings on higher revenues when it reports results for the quarter ended September 2026. This widely-known consensus outlook is important in assessing the company's earnings picture, but a powerful factor that might influence its near-term stock price is how the actual results compare to these estimates.
The stock might move higher if these key numbers top expectations in the upcoming earnings report, which is expected to be released on October 28. On the other hand, if they miss, the stock may move lower.
While the sustainability of the immediate price change and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's discussion of business conditions on the earnings call, it's worth handicapping the probability of a positive EPS surprise.
Zacks Consensus EstimateThis restaurant chain is expected to post quarterly earnings of $1.03 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -5.5%.
Revenues are expected to be $194.15 million, up 10.5% from the year-ago quarter.
Estimate Revisions TrendThe consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 2.05% lower over the last 30 days to the current level. This is essentially a reflection of how the covering analysts have collectively reassessed their initial estimates over this period.
Investors should keep in mind that an aggregate change may not always reflect the direction of estimate revisions by each of the covering analysts.
Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise
Earnings WhisperEstimate revisions ahead of a company's earnings release offer clues to the business conditions for the period whose results are coming out. This insight is at the core of our proprietary surprise prediction model -- the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction).
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a more recent version of the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.
Thus, a positive or negative Earnings ESP reading theoretically indicates the likely deviation of the actual earnings from the consensus estimate. However, the model's predictive power is significant for positive ESP readings only.
A positive Earnings ESP is a strong predictor of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold). Our research shows that stocks with this combination produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time, and a solid Zacks Rank actually increases the predictive power of Earnings ESP.
Please note that a negative Earnings ESP reading is not indicative of an earnings miss. Our research shows that it is difficult to predict an earnings beat with any degree of confidence for stocks with negative Earnings ESP readings and/or Zacks Rank of 4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell).
How Have the Numbers Shaped Up for Wingstop?For Wingstop, the Most Accurate Estimate is lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate, suggesting that analysts have recently become bearish on the company's earnings prospects. This has resulted in an Earnings ESP of -4.00%.
On the other hand, the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank of #4.
So, this combination makes it difficult to conclusively predict that Wingstop will beat the consensus EPS estimate.
Does Earnings Surprise History Hold Any Clue?Analysts often consider to what extent a company has been able to match consensus estimates in the past while calculating their estimates for its future earnings. So, it's worth taking a look at the surprise history for gauging its influence on the upcoming number.
For the last reported quarter, it was expected that Wingstop would post earnings of $1.02 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.18, delivering a surprise of +15.69%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has beaten consensus EPS estimates four times.
Bottom LineAn earnings beat or miss may not be the sole basis for a stock moving higher or lower. Many stocks end up losing ground despite an earnings beat due to other factors that disappoint investors. Similarly, unforeseen catalysts help a number of stocks gain despite an earnings miss.
That said, betting on stocks that are expected to beat earnings expectations does increase the odds of success. This is why it's worth checking a company's Earnings ESP and Zacks Rank ahead of its quarterly release. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
Wingstop doesn't appear a compelling earnings-beat candidate. However, investors should pay attention to other factors too for betting on this stock or staying away from it ahead of its earnings release.
Stay on top of upcoming earnings announcements with the Zacks Earnings Calendar.
Wingstop (WING - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $129.69, moving -2.31% from the previous trading session. The stock's performance was behind the S&P 500's daily gain of 0.28%. Elsewhere, the Dow gained 1.02%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 0.02%.
Shares of the restaurant chain have appreciated by 23.68% over the course of the past month, outperforming the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 4.46%, and the S&P 500's gain of 0.67%.
The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Wingstop in its upcoming release. The company is slated to reveal its earnings on October 28, 2026. The company's earnings per share (EPS) are projected to be $1.03, reflecting a 5.5% decrease from the same quarter last year. In the meantime, our current consensus estimate forecasts the revenue to be $195.3 million, indicating a 11.13% growth compared to the corresponding quarter of the prior year.
Regarding the entire year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates forecast earnings of $4.45 per share and revenue of $762.73 million, indicating changes of +9.07% and +9.45%, respectively, compared to the previous year.
It's also important for investors to be aware of any recent modifications to analyst estimates for Wingstop. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the business health and profitability.
Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-term stock moves. To utilize this, we have created the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model that integrates these estimate changes and provides a functional rating system.
The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 1.04% lower. Wingstop is holding a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell) right now.
In terms of valuation, Wingstop is currently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 29.84. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 20.83, which means Wingstop is trading at a premium to the group.
It is also worth noting that WING currently has a PEG ratio of 1.6. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Retail - Restaurants industry held an average PEG ratio of 1.78.
The Retail - Restaurants industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 89, this industry ranks in the top 37% of all industries, numbering over 250.
The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Be sure to use Zacks.com to monitor all these stock-influencing metrics, and more, throughout the forthcoming trading sessions.
SummaryWingstop is upgraded to Strong Buy, with valuation multiples now far more reasonable and strong long-term growth prospects.WING targets 10,000 locations, leverages high-margin franchise economics, and expects double-digit annualized returns through 2030.Recent comps weakness is being addressed via loyalty programs and value offers, with management guiding to a stronger second half.With 25% net margins in FY25 and a projected $275/share price target by 2030, WING offers substantial upside despite competitive risks.Looking for option income ideas that focus on capital preservation? I offer this and much more at my exclusive investing ideas service, Option Income Builder. Learn More »jetcityimage/iStock Editorial via Getty Images
It's been about a year since the last time I covered Wingstop (WING), the increasingly popular fried chicken chain with more than 3,000 locations across the US and internationally.
When I first talked about the
11.52K Followers
Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of WING either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
In the latest close session, Wingstop (WING - Free Report) was down 2.02% at $123.22. The stock's performance was behind the S&P 500's daily loss of 1.11%. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 0.09%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.88%.
The stock of restaurant chain has risen by 24.71% in the past month, leading the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 0.5% and the S&P 500's gain of 2.06%.
Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Wingstop in its upcoming release. The company plans to announce its earnings on October 28, 2026. The company is expected to report EPS of $1.04, down 4.59% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $195.3 million, up 11.13% from the year-ago period.
In terms of the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $4.46 per share and a revenue of $764.09 million, indicating changes of +9.31% and +9.65%, respectively, from the former year.
Additionally, investors should keep an eye on any recent revisions to analyst forecasts for Wingstop. These revisions help to show the ever-changing nature of near-term business trends. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the business outlook.
Our research demonstrates that these adjustments in estimates directly associate with imminent stock price performance. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.
The Zacks Rank system, ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), possesses a remarkable history of outdoing, externally audited, with #1 stocks returning an average annual gain of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has witnessed a 0.93% decrease. Currently, Wingstop is carrying a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell).
In terms of valuation, Wingstop is presently being traded at a Forward P/E ratio of 28.18. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 19.79, so one might conclude that Wingstop is trading at a premium comparatively.
We can additionally observe that WING currently boasts a PEG ratio of 1.51. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. The Retail - Restaurants industry currently had an average PEG ratio of 1.77 as of yesterday's close.
The Retail - Restaurants industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 95, this industry ranks in the top 39% of all industries, numbering over 250.
The Zacks Industry Rank gauges the strength of our individual industry groups by measuring the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions.
The unexpected SOUR THEN SWEET wing flavor arrives nationwide Oct. 27*, with early access for Club Wingstop members beginning Oct. 23
, /PRNewswire/ -- This Halloween, Wingstop (NASDAQ: WING) is taking its flavor expertise somewhere no one saw coming, teaming up with the SOUR PATCH KIDS brand to create SOUR PATCH KIDS Wicked Punch. The SOUR PATCH KIDS brought the SOUR THEN SWEET mischief, and Wingstop made it saucy. The result is the ultimate candy-meets-wings crossover, one of Wingstop's wildest flavor creations yet.
This Halloween, Wingstop is teaming up with the SOUR PATCH KIDS brand to create one of Wingstop’s wildest flavor creations yet.
Created by Wingstop’s Flavor Experts, SOUR PATCH KIDS Wicked Punch features a mischievous SOUR THEN SWEET REDBERRY glaze finished with SOUR PATCH KIDS Bitz for a wickedly fun twist.
Halloween has a way of bringing unlikely duos together, and this year, Wingstop and the SOUR PATCH KIDS candy may be the most unexpected yet. Created by Wingstop's Flavor Experts, Wicked Punch features a mischievous SOUR THEN SWEET REDBERRY glaze finished with SOUR PATCH KIDS Bitz for a wickedly fun twist, available across all proteins.
Halloween has a way of bringing unlikely duos together, and this year, Wingstop and the SOUR PATCH KIDS candy may be the most unexpected yet. It's surprising, a little unhinged and exactly the kind of flavor experience only Wingstop could pull off – a mashup that is equal parts trick, treat and dare.
"Candy on wings? We know exactly what you're thinking. But no, seriously, it has no business being this good," said Michael Skipworth, President and CEO of Wingstop. "SOUR PATCH KIDS Wicked Punch wings bring sour and sweet together in a way only Wingstop can. It may sound unexpected, but one bite is all it takes to understand why this one is a treat."
"For the SOUR PATCH KIDS brand, Halloween usually means owning the candy bowl. This year, the SOUR PATCH KIDS brand decided candy wasn't enough," said Lauryn McDonough, Senior Director, Candy at Mondelēz International. "This is the first taste of the SOUR PATCH KIDS 13 Days of Mischief program, and transforming our signature SOUR THEN SWEET flavors into a wing flavor is exactly the kind of unexpected mischief our fans love. It brings both brands together in a way that is surprising, playful and delicious."
The Halloween mischief hits the menu Oct. 23, when Club Wingstop members get the first taste of SOUR PATCH KIDS Wicked Punch through exclusive early access. On Oct. 27, the flavor expands to Wingstop menus nationwide, just in time for Halloween week. Bring it to a costume party, break it out during a scary-movie marathon or serve it after trick-or-treating for one final Halloween dare.
For Halloween fans ready to embrace the mischief, SOUR PATCH KIDS Wicked Punch can be ordered through the Wingstop app or Wingstop.com. But like Halloween itself, the chaos won't last forever. Wicked Punch disappears after Nov. 5, so try it before the SOUR PATCH KIDS take it back.
*Available for a limited time only at participating locations in the U.S. While supplies last.
About Wingstop
Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Dallas, TX, Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING) operates and franchises more than 3,000 restaurants worldwide, with approximately 98% of the total restaurant count owned by brand partners. Generating over $5 billion in system-wide sales in fiscal 2025, Wingstop offers made-to-order, always fresh classic and boneless wings, tenders and chicken sandwiches in 12 bold, distinctive flavors, alongside signature sides and iconic housemade ranch and bleu cheese dips. Dedicated to Serving the World Flavor, Wingstop is the Official Chicken Partner of the NBA with a vision to become a Top 10 Global Restaurant Brand. Learn more at wingstop.com or follow @Wingstop on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
About Mondelēz International
Mondelēz International, Inc. (Nasdaq: MDLZ) empowers people to snack right in over 150 countries around the world. With 2024 net revenues of approximately $36.4 billion, MDLZ is leading the future of snacking with iconic global and local brands such as OREO, RITZ, LU, CLIF BAR and TATE'S BAKE SHOP biscuits and baked snacks, as well as CADBURY DAIRY MILK, MILKA and TOBLERONE chocolate. Mondelēz International is a proud member of the Standard and Poor's 500, Nasdaq 100 and Dow Jones Sustainability Index. Visit www.mondelezinternational.com or follow the company on X at www.x.com/MDLZ.
On October 12, 2026, Wingstop Inc WING shares rose 3.1% to a current price of $126.02. Despite today's positive movement, the stock has experienced significant declines over the past year, with a 52-week range between $95.82 and $302.80.
GF Value™ verdict: Current price is $126.02, indicating a potential upside of 67.2% to the estimated fair value of $383.66.GF Score™ of 83/100, signifying a strong overall performance relative to financial health, profitability, and growth potential.Insider activity shows that insiders have sold $1.0 million worth of shares over the past 12 months, with no recent purchases, suggesting a cautious outlook from those closest to the company.Is WING Overvalued or Undervalued?The current valuation of Wingstop Inc WING presents a compelling opportunity for potential investors, as the stock is significantly undervalued. With a current price of $126.02 and a GF Value™ estimate of $383.66, WING is priced 67.2% below its intrinsic value. This margin of safety indicates a substantial upside potential, suggesting that the stock may be undervalued relative to its true worth. GF Value™ is GuruFocus's proprietary intrinsic value estimate, which is derived from a combination of historical trading multiples, past business growth, and future performance forecasts.
While the significant undervaluation presents an opportunity, investors should remain cautious due to the overall decline in stock price year-to-date, which has seen a 46.8% drop. This downward trend could indicate underlying issues that may affect future performance, despite the positive outlook suggested by the GF Value™ assessment.
How Does WING's Valuation Compare to Its History?MetricCurrentHistoricalP/E (TTM)29.9x86.2xForward P/E23.5xN/AThe current P/E ratio of 29.9x is significantly below its 5-year median P/E of 86.2x, indicating that the stock is trading at a much lower valuation compared to its historical performance. This analysis aligns with the GF Value™ verdict, reinforcing the view that WING is undervalued at its current price, providing a potential opportunity for growth as the market recognizes its true value.
What Does WING's GF Score™ Tell Us?The GF Score™ is a comprehensive measure that evaluates a company's financial strength, profitability, growth potential, valuation, and momentum. With a GF Score™ of 83/100, Wingstop exhibits a strong performance across key metrics, particularly in profitability and growth. However, the valuation rank stands out as a weakness, suggesting that while the stock is undervalued, this aspect could be indicative of market skepticism.
MetricRatingGF Score™83Financial Strength4/10Profitability10/10Growth10/10Valuation2/10Momentum4/10Wingstop's strongest areas lie in profitability and growth, both receiving a perfect score of 10/10, reflecting the company's ability to generate earnings and expand its business effectively. Conversely, the valuation rank of 2/10 indicates that the market may not fully appreciate the company's potential, which is further emphasized by the current undervaluation as indicated by the GF Value™ assessment.
What Are Gurus and Insiders Doing with WING?Currently, 9 gurus hold Wingstop's stock, with 7 increasing their positions and 3 trimming their holdings. This activity indicates a generally positive sentiment among institutional investors regarding the company's future prospects. However, insider selling of $1.0 million without any recent buying raises questions about the confidence of those within the company. Such patterns can often suggest that insiders may be anticipating challenges ahead, despite the favorable outlook indicated by the GF Value™.
This contrast between guru activity and insider selling could point to a divergence in sentiment: while institutional investors appear bullish, insiders seem more cautious. This duality highlights the importance of considering multiple perspectives when assessing the stock's potential.
What This Means for InvestorsBased on the analysis, Wingstop Inc WING is currently undervalued according to the GF Value™ estimate. With a significant margin of safety and a strong GF Score™, the stock presents an intriguing opportunity for those looking to invest in a company with solid profitability and growth metrics. However, potential investors should remain mindful of the insider selling activity and the stock's historical performance trends. For more detailed information, visit the Wingstop Inc (WING) stock page for comprehensive insights on the company and its valuation metrics.
Frequently Asked QuestionsWhat is WING's GF Score™?
WING has a GF Score™ of 83/100, indicating strong overall performance in financial health, profitability, and growth potential.
Is WING overvalued or undervalued?
WING is currently undervalued, with a GF Value™ estimate indicating a potential upside of 67.2% from the current price.
What is WING's P/E ratio?
The P/E ratio for WING is 29.9x, which is significantly below its 5-year median P/E of 86.2x, suggesting that the stock is trading at a lower valuation compared to its historical standards.
This stock alert was generated using automated technology and GuruFocus financial data to provide readers with timely and accurate market reporting. This content was reviewed by GuruFocus editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
Disclosures I/We may personally own shares in some of the companies mentioned above. However, those positions are not material to either the company or to my/our portfolios.
Wingstop (WING - Free Report) ended the recent trading session at $118.50, demonstrating a +1.56% change from the preceding day's closing price. The stock's change was more than the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.47%. At the same time, the Dow added 0.1%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 1.25%.
Shares of the restaurant chain have appreciated by 5.52% over the course of the past month, outperforming the Retail-Wholesale sector's loss of 2.73%, and the S&P 500's gain of 1.15%.
Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Wingstop in its upcoming release. The company plans to announce its earnings on October 28, 2026. The company's upcoming EPS is projected at $1.04, signifying a 4.59% drop compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Meanwhile, the latest consensus estimate predicts the revenue to be $195.3 million, indicating a 11.13% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year.
Looking at the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $4.49 per share and revenue of $766.44 million. These totals would mark changes of +10.05% and +9.99%, respectively, from last year.
Additionally, investors should keep an eye on any recent revisions to analyst forecasts for Wingstop. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the business health and profitability.
Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. To capitalize on this, we've crafted the Zacks Rank, a unique model that incorporates these estimate changes and offers a practical rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, stretching from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has a noteworthy track record of outperforming, validated by third-party audits, with stocks rated #1 producing an average annual return of +25% since the year 1988. Over the past month, there's been a 0.43% fall in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. At present, Wingstop boasts a Zacks Rank of #4 (Sell).
Digging into valuation, Wingstop currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 26.02. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 19.95, which means Wingstop is trading at a premium to the group.
One should further note that WING currently holds a PEG ratio of 1.39. The PEG ratio bears resemblance to the frequently used P/E ratio, but this parameter also includes the company's expected earnings growth trajectory. As the market closed yesterday, the Retail - Restaurants industry was having an average PEG ratio of 1.74.
The Retail - Restaurants industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. Currently, this industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 107, positioning it in the top 44% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank evaluates the power of our distinct industry groups by determining the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks forming the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Ensure to harness Zacks.com to stay updated with all these stock-shifting metrics, among others, in the next trading sessions.
Inspirato (NASDAQ:ISPO – Get Free Report) and Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING – Get Free Report) are both consumer discretionary companies, but which is the better investment? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, risk, institutional ownership, earnings, analyst recommendations, profitability and valuation.
Earnings and Valuation This table compares Inspirato and Wingstop”s top-line revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation.
Gross Revenue Price/Sales Ratio Net Income Earnings Per Share Price/Earnings Ratio Inspirato $247.65 million 0.22 -$5.39 million ($0.87) -4.90 Wingstop $720.72 million 4.04 $174.27 million $4.21 25.38 Wingstop has higher revenue and earnings than Inspirato. Inspirato is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Wingstop, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks. Analyst Ratings This is a summary of recent recommendations and price targets for Inspirato and Wingstop, as provided by MarketBeat.
Sell Ratings Hold Ratings Buy Ratings Strong Buy Ratings Rating Score Inspirato 1 0 0 0 1.00 Wingstop 2 5 21 2 2.77 Wingstop has a consensus price target of $236.44, indicating a potential upside of 121.31%. Given Wingstop’s stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts clearly believe Wingstop is more favorable than Inspirato.
Volatility & Risk Inspirato has a beta of -0.03, indicating that its share price is 103% less volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Wingstop has a beta of 1.81, indicating that its share price is 81% more volatile than the S&P 500.
Insider & Institutional Ownership 39.5% of Inspirato shares are owned by institutional investors. 50.0% of Inspirato shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of Wingstop shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.
Profitability This table compares Inspirato and Wingstop’s net margins, return on equity and return on assets.
Net Margins Return on Equity Return on Assets Inspirato -4.24% N/A -4.10% Wingstop 16.15% -16.31% 18.05% Summary Wingstop beats Inspirato on 12 of the 15 factors compared between the two stocks.
About Inspirato (Get Free Report)
Inspirato Incorporated, together with its subsidiaries, operates as a subscription-based luxury travel company. The company's portfolio includes luxury vacation homes, and accommodations at luxury hotels and resorts, as well as luxury safaris, cruises, custom-designed itineraries, and other experiences. It is involved in solving critical pain points for hospitality suppliers seeking to monetize their property with rental income. In addition, the company offers Inspirato Pass for member to book pass trips; Inspirato Club for members to book trips up to one year in advance Inspirato for Good, a platform designed to help nonprofit organizations accelerate funding results; Inspirato for Business, a business-to-business channel through which subscription and travel products are sold directly to businesses seeking to leverage luxury accommodations to recruit, retain, and reward their employees. The company was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
About Wingstop (Get Free Report)
Wingstop Inc., together with its subsidiaries, franchises and operates restaurants under the Wingstop brand. Its restaurants offer classic wings, boneless wings, tenders, and hand-sauced-and-tossed in various flavors, as well as chicken sandwiches with fries and hand-cut carrots and celery that are cooked-to-order. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Addison, Texas.
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, /PRNewswire/ -- Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING) today announced that it will host a conference call and webcast to discuss its fiscal third quarter 2026 financial results on Wednesday, October 28, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. ET.
A press release with fiscal third quarter 2026 financial results will be issued before the market opens that morning.
The conference call can be joined telephonically by dialing 1-877-259-5243 or 1-412-317-5176 (international) and asking for the Wingstop conference call. A replay will be available two hours after the call and can be accessed by dialing 1-855-669-9658 or 1-412-317-0088 (international), then entering the replay code 4254399. The replay will be available through Wednesday, Nov 4th, 2026.
The conference call will also be webcast live and later archived on the investor relations section of Wingstop's corporate website at ir.wingstop.com under the 'News & Events' section. The webcast can also be accessed directly at
https://event.choruscall.com/mediaframe/webcast.html?webcastid=Qc6WHLsk
About Wingstop
Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Dallas, TX, Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING) operates and franchises more than 3,000 restaurants worldwide, with approximately 98% of the total restaurant count owned by brand partners. Generating over $5 billion in system-wide sales in fiscal 2025, Wingstop offers made-to-order, always fresh classic and boneless wings, tenders and chicken sandwiches in 12 bold, distinctive flavors, alongside signature sides and iconic housemade ranch and bleu cheese dips. Dedicated to Serving the World Flavor, Wingstop is the Official Chicken Partner of the NBA with a vision to become a Top 10 Global Restaurant Brand. Learn more at wingstop.com or follow @Wingstop on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
Wingstop (WING - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $101.80, moving +2.76% from the previous trading session. The stock exceeded the S&P 500, which registered a loss of 0.77% for the day. Elsewhere, the Dow saw a downswing of 0.67%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq depreciated by 0.92%.
Coming into today, shares of the restaurant chain had lost 12.78% in the past month. In that same time, the Retail-Wholesale sector lost 6.02%, while the S&P 500 gained 0.96%.
The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Wingstop in its upcoming release. In that report, analysts expect Wingstop to post earnings of $1.05 per share. This would mark a year-over-year decline of 3.67%. Simultaneously, our latest consensus estimate expects the revenue to be $194.94 million, showing a 10.93% escalation compared to the year-ago quarter.
Regarding the entire year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates forecast earnings of $4.5 per share and revenue of $766.07 million, indicating changes of +10.29% and +9.93%, respectively, compared to the previous year.
Any recent changes to analyst estimates for Wingstop should also be noted by investors. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the business outlook.
Empirical research indicates that these revisions in estimates have a direct correlation with impending stock price performance. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the last 30 days, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.2% lower. Wingstop is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Digging into valuation, Wingstop currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 22.04. This denotes a premium relative to the industry average Forward P/E of 20.71.
Investors should also note that WING has a PEG ratio of 1.18 right now. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. As of the close of trade yesterday, the Retail - Restaurants industry held an average PEG ratio of 1.76.
The Retail - Restaurants industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. Currently, this industry holds a Zacks Industry Rank of 162, positioning it in the bottom 35% of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the strength of our separate industry groups by calculating the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks contained within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
You can find more information on all of these metrics, and much more, on Zacks.com.
Club Wingstop members get exclusive access to earn a free Watch Party Bundle and Ticketmaster® Ticket Cash® code, while supplies last
, /PRNewswire/ -- Game day starts with Wingstop. Following incredible demand for its limited-availability Wing Pass, Wingstop (NASDAQ: WING) is keeping the wins coming for all Club Wingstop members with the new Game Day Punch Card*, an exclusive rewards offer built for football season. Not a member? Join Club Wingstop.
Wingstop is keeping the wins coming for all Club Wingstop members with the new Game Day Punch Card. Available from Sept. 24 through Oct. 21, Club Wingstop members can access the Game Day Punch Card directly through their account, with each membership eligible to complete the Punch Card and claim the reward once. Guests who purchase three Watch Party Bundles can earn a fourth Watch Party Bundle free**, along with a $50 Ticketmaster® Ticket Cash® code***, while supplies last. Fans can rack up all three qualifying purchases in one day or throughout the promotional period — just place each Watch Party Bundle as a separate order.
Built for feeding game day crowds, the Wingstop Watch Party Bundle includes 20 classic wings sauced and tossed in up to four signature flavors, a large order of seasoned fries and a large side of Wingstop's iconic housemade ranch.
To take advantage of the Game Day Punch Card and unlock exclusive seasonal perks, fans can join Club Wingstop for free on Wingstop.com or through the official Wingstop mobile app.
*See full Game Day Punch Card Terms and Conditions at Wingstop.com/Offers.
**Delivery fees apply. Minimum $5.00 purchase required for delivery.
***Ticketmaster and Ticketmaster Ticket Cash are registered trademarks of Live Nation Entertainment, Inc.
About Wingstop
Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Dallas, TX, Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING) operates and franchises more than 3,000 restaurants worldwide, with approximately 98% of the total restaurant count owned by brand partners. Generating over $5 billion in system-wide sales in fiscal 2025, Wingstop offers made-to-order, always fresh classic and boneless wings, tenders and chicken sandwiches in 12 bold, distinctive flavors, alongside signature sides and iconic housemade ranch and bleu cheese dips. Dedicated to Serving the World Flavor, Wingstop is the Official Chicken Partner of the NBA with a vision to become a Top 10 Global Restaurant Brand. Learn more at wingstop.com or follow @Wingstop on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have a beneficial long position in the shares of WING either through stock ownership, options, or other derivatives. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
Investors often turn to recommendations made by Wall Street analysts before making a Buy, Sell, or Hold decision about a stock. While media reports about rating changes by these brokerage-firm employed (or sell-side) analysts often affect a stock's price, do they really matter?
Let's take a look at what these Wall Street heavyweights have to say about Wingstop (WING - Free Report) before we discuss the reliability of brokerage recommendations and how to use them to your advantage.
Wingstop currently has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.53, on a scale of 1 to 5 (Strong Buy to Strong Sell), calculated based on the actual recommendations (Buy, Hold, Sell, etc.) made by 29 brokerage firms. An ABR of 1.53 approximates between Strong Buy and Buy.
Of the 29 recommendations that derive the current ABR, 20 are Strong Buy and two are Buy. Strong Buy and Buy respectively account for 69% and 6.9% of all recommendations.
Brokerage Recommendation Trends for WING
Check price target & stock forecast for Wingstop here>>>
While the ABR calls for buying Wingstop, it may not be wise to make an investment decision solely based on this information. Several studies have shown limited to no success of brokerage recommendations in guiding investors to pick stocks with the best price increase potential.
Do you wonder why? As a result of the vested interest of brokerage firms in a stock they cover, their analysts tend to rate it with a strong positive bias. According to our research, brokerage firms assign five "Strong Buy" recommendations for every "Strong Sell" recommendation.
In other words, their interests aren't always aligned with retail investors, rarely indicating where the price of a stock could actually be heading. Therefore, the best use of this information could be validating your own research or an indicator that has proven to be highly successful in predicting a stock's price movement.
Zacks Rank, our proprietary stock rating tool with an impressive externally audited track record, categorizes stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), and is an effective indicator of a stock's price performance in the near future. Therefore, using the ABR to validate the Zacks Rank could be an efficient way of making a profitable investment decision.
Zacks Rank Should Not Be Confused With ABRIn spite of the fact that Zacks Rank and ABR both appear on a scale from 1 to 5, they are two completely different measures.
Broker recommendations are the sole basis for calculating the ABR, which is typically displayed in decimals (such as 1.28). The Zacks Rank, on the other hand, is a quantitative model designed to harness the power of earnings estimate revisions. It is displayed in whole numbers -- 1 to 5.
Analysts employed by brokerage firms have been and continue to be overly optimistic with their recommendations. Since the ratings issued by these analysts are more favorable than their research would support because of the vested interest of their employers, they mislead investors far more often than they guide.
On the other hand, earnings estimate revisions are at the core of the Zacks Rank. And empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.
Furthermore, the different grades of the Zacks Rank are applied proportionately across all stocks for which brokerage analysts provide earnings estimates for the current year. In other words, at all times, this tool maintains a balance among the five ranks it assigns.
There is also a key difference between the ABR and Zacks Rank when it comes to freshness. When you look at the ABR, it may not be up-to-date. Nonetheless, since brokerage analysts constantly revise their earnings estimates to reflect changing business trends, and their actions get reflected in the Zacks Rank quickly enough, it is always timely in predicting future stock prices.
Should You Invest in WING?Looking at the earnings estimate revisions for Wingstop, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has remained unchanged over the past month at $4.5.
Analysts' steady views regarding the company's earnings prospects, as indicated by an unchanged consensus estimate, could be a legitimate reason for the stock to perform in line with the broader market in the near term.
The size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, has resulted in a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for Wingstop. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>
It may therefore be prudent to be a little cautious with the Buy-equivalent ABR for Wingstop.
Engineers Gate Manager LP lessened its position in shares of Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING – Free Report) by 76.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 7,270 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 24,181 shares during the quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP’s holdings in Wingstop were worth $1,261,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Nykredit A S acquired a new stake in Wingstop during the second quarter valued at approximately $152,000. Corient Private Wealth LP lifted its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 43.5% during the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 1,965 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $341,000 after acquiring an additional 596 shares during the period. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al bought a new position in shares of Wingstop during the second quarter valued at $319,000. AlphaGrep UK Ltd bought a new position in shares of Wingstop during the second quarter valued at $338,000. Finally, Quantitative Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Wingstop in the 2nd quarter valued at $386,000.
Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Wingstop from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Wingstop from $200.00 to $150.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price target on Wingstop from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of Wingstop to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, August 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Wingstop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-one have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Wingstop has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $238.48.
View Our Latest Stock Report on WING Wingstop Price Performance Shares of NASDAQ:WING opened at $103.76 on Friday. Wingstop Inc. has a one year low of $100.13 and a one year high of $302.80. The company has a 50 day moving average of $122.20 and a 200-day moving average of $151.80. The stock has a market cap of $2.83 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.79.
Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.31% and a net margin of 16.15%.The company had revenue of $185.56 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $190.25 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.00 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current year.
Wingstop Increases Dividend The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, September 5th. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Wingstop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.32 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.3%. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 31.35%.
Wingstop Profile (Free Report)
Wingstop Inc is a fast-casual restaurant company specializing in cooked-to-order chicken wings and tenders. Its menu also includes fries, seasoned fries, dipping sauces, and beverages, with offerings built around a range of signature flavors and sauces. The company primarily operates through a franchise-based model.
Wingstop was founded in 1994 in Garland, Texas, and has expanded from its original location into a global restaurant brand. Its restaurants serve customers across the United States and in international markets through a network of franchised and company-operated locations.
Wingstop became a publicly traded company in 2015.
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Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING – Get Free Report) hit a new 52-week low during trading on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $100.13 and last traded at $100.84, with a volume of 2887113 shares trading hands. The stock had previously closed at $114.71.
Analyst Ratings Changes Several equities analysts have weighed in on WING shares. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Wingstop from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Wingstop from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of Wingstop from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $264.00 to $234.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have assigned a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Wingstop presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $240.33.
View Our Latest Report on WING
Wingstop Trading Down 12.1% The firm has a 50-day moving average of $124.42 and a 200 day moving average of $154.10. The company has a market cap of $2.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.95, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.79. Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.31% and a net margin of 16.15%.The company had revenue of $185.56 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $190.25 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.00 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current year.
Wingstop Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, August 15th were given a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. This is a boost from Wingstop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.3%. Wingstop’s payout ratio is 31.35%.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Wingstop A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of WING. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Wingstop in the second quarter worth $246,000. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of Wingstop by 48.7% during the second quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 2,235 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $388,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares during the last quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP boosted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 20.0% during the second quarter. Darsana Capital Partners LP now owns 1,500,000 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $260,115,000 after purchasing an additional 250,000 shares during the period. Nykredit A S bought a new position in shares of Wingstop in the second quarter worth about $152,000. Finally, Corient Private Wealth LP grew its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 43.5% in the second quarter. Corient Private Wealth LP now owns 1,965 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $341,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares during the last quarter.
Wingstop Company Profile (Get Free Report)
Wingstop Inc is a fast-casual restaurant company specializing in cooked-to-order chicken wings and tenders. Its menu also includes fries, seasoned fries, dipping sauces, and beverages, with offerings built around a range of signature flavors and sauces. The company primarily operates through a franchise-based model.
Wingstop was founded in 1994 in Garland, Texas, and has expanded from its original location into a global restaurant brand. Its restaurants serve customers across the United States and in international markets through a network of franchised and company-operated locations.
Wingstop became a publicly traded company in 2015.
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Wingstop (WING - Free Report) closed at $100.84 in the latest trading session, marking a -12.09% move from the prior day. This change lagged the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.45%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.63%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 0.78%.
The restaurant chain's stock has dropped by 0.87% in the past month, exceeding the Retail-Wholesale sector's loss of 5.39% and the S&P 500's loss of 1.99%.
The upcoming earnings release of Wingstop will be of great interest to investors. The company is predicted to post an EPS of $1.06, indicating a 2.75% decline compared to the equivalent quarter last year. Alongside, our most recent consensus estimate is anticipating revenue of $195.65 million, indicating a 11.33% upward movement from the same quarter last year.
Looking at the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates suggest analysts are expecting earnings of $4.5 per share and revenue of $767.13 million. These totals would mark changes of +10.29% and +10.08%, respectively, from last year.
Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Wingstop. Such recent modifications usually signify the changing landscape of near-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the business and profitability.
Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, stretching from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has a noteworthy track record of outperforming, validated by third-party audits, with stocks rated #1 producing an average annual return of +25% since the year 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has remained steady. Right now, Wingstop possesses a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Valuation is also important, so investors should note that Wingstop has a Forward P/E ratio of 25.47 right now. For comparison, its industry has an average Forward P/E of 21.48, which means Wingstop is trading at a premium to the group.
We can additionally observe that WING currently boasts a PEG ratio of 1.36. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. The average PEG ratio for the Retail - Restaurants industry stood at 1.77 at the close of the market yesterday.
The Retail - Restaurants industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 162, which puts it in the bottom 35% of all 250+ industries.
The strength of our individual industry groups is measured by the Zacks Industry Rank, which is calculated based on the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within these groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.
Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new position in Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 9,256 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,558,000.
A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in WING. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Wingstop in the 2nd quarter worth $481,314,000. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in Wingstop by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 2,111,089 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $503,475,000 after purchasing an additional 58,386 shares in the last quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Wingstop by 6.4% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,173,613 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $279,895,000 after purchasing an additional 70,224 shares during the period. Steadfast Capital Management LP grew its holdings in Wingstop by 296.2% during the third quarter. Steadfast Capital Management LP now owns 950,521 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $239,227,000 after purchasing an additional 710,621 shares during the period. Finally, Jupiter Topco LLC bought a new stake in Wingstop during the second quarter valued at about $147,440,000.
Analyst Ratings Changes Several research analysts have recently commented on WING shares. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on Wingstop from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein downgraded Wingstop from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $220.00 to $155.00 in a research note on Monday, August 3rd. UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Tuesday, July 14th. TD Cowen lowered their price target on shares of Wingstop from $160.00 to $120.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, BTIG Research lowered their price target on shares of Wingstop from $305.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Wingstop presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $240.33.
Get Our Latest Research Report on Wingstop Wingstop News Summary Here are the key news stories impacting Wingstop this week:
Positive Sentiment: Wingstop introduced its first-ever Wing Pass, offering customers a season-long promotion tied to football season. Reports that the initial offering sold out suggest strong consumer interest and could support traffic, brand engagement, and near-term sales. Wingstop sells out of first-ever Wing Pass offering incredible deal Positive Sentiment: The company also launched a limited-time Lemon Pepper Trio for football season. Seasonal menu innovation and marketing may help drive customer visits and same-store sales during a key promotional period. Wingstop kicks off football season with Lemon Pepper Trio Positive Sentiment: Analysts collectively maintain a “Moderate Buy” average rating, providing some support for the stock despite recent estimate and valuation concerns. Wingstop analyst rating Neutral Sentiment: Recent market commentary noted that WING advanced even as the broader market weakened, indicating relative strength. However, this type of price action does not by itself establish a change in earnings fundamentals. Wingstop rises as market takes a dip Neutral Sentiment: The reported September short-interest figures show zero shares and a zero-day days-to-cover ratio, but the accompanying “NaN” change suggests the data may be incomplete or erroneous. Investors should not rely on it as a meaningful short-squeeze signal. Negative Sentiment: TD Cowen cut its price target from $160 to $120 and downgraded its stance to Hold, leaving only modest implied upside. The reduction signals weaker confidence in Wingstop’s valuation or growth outlook. Read More: Benzinga Negative Sentiment: A recent valuation analysis said the stock is more reasonably valued after its decline but warned that fundamentals remain questionable, including concerns about growth durability and operating performance. Wingstop valuation improves but fundamentals are questionable Wingstop Price Performance WING stock opened at $117.10 on Friday. Wingstop Inc. has a 1-year low of $105.43 and a 1-year high of $302.80. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $126.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $156.75. The company has a market capitalization of $3.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.81, a PEG ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.79.
Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.02 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $185.56 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $190.25 million. Wingstop had a net margin of 16.15% and a negative return on equity of 16.31%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.00 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Wingstop Increases Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, August 15th were paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. This is an increase from Wingstop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.35%.
Wingstop Profile (Free Report)
Wingstop Inc is a fast-casual restaurant company specializing in cooked-to-order chicken wings and tenders. Its menu also includes fries, seasoned fries, dipping sauces, and beverages, with offerings built around a range of signature flavors and sauces. The company primarily operates through a franchise-based model.
Wingstop was founded in 1994 in Garland, Texas, and has expanded from its original location into a global restaurant brand. Its restaurants serve customers across the United States and in international markets through a network of franchised and company-operated locations.
Wingstop became a publicly traded company in 2015.
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In the latest trading session, Wingstop (WING - Free Report) closed at $110.58, marking a +1.03% move from the previous day. The stock outpaced the S&P 500's daily loss of 0.48%. On the other hand, the Dow registered a loss of 0.77%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq decreased by 0.64%.
The stock of restaurant chain has fallen by 1.72% in the past month, leading the Retail-Wholesale sector's loss of 6.98% and undershooting the S&P 500's loss of 0.97%.
The upcoming earnings release of Wingstop will be of great interest to investors. The company's upcoming EPS is projected at $1.06, signifying a 2.75% drop compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Alongside, our most recent consensus estimate is anticipating revenue of $195.65 million, indicating a 11.33% upward movement from the same quarter last year.
Regarding the entire year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates forecast earnings of $4.5 per share and revenue of $767.13 million, indicating changes of +10.29% and +10.08%, respectively, compared to the previous year.
Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for Wingstop. These latest adjustments often mirror the shifting dynamics of short-term business patterns. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the business outlook.
Our research suggests that these changes in estimates have a direct relationship with upcoming stock price performance. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.
Ranging from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), the Zacks Rank system has a proven, outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks returning an average of +25% annually since 1988. Over the past month, there's been no change in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. Currently, Wingstop is carrying a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Looking at its valuation, Wingstop is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 24.3. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 23.04, so one might conclude that Wingstop is trading at a premium comparatively.
It is also worth noting that WING currently has a PEG ratio of 1.3. Comparable to the widely accepted P/E ratio, the PEG ratio also accounts for the company's projected earnings growth. By the end of yesterday's trading, the Retail - Restaurants industry had an average PEG ratio of 1.82.
The Retail - Restaurants industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 164, finds itself in the bottom 34% echelons of all 250+ industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank evaluates the power of our distinct industry groups by determining the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks forming the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Don't forget to use Zacks.com to keep track of all these stock-moving metrics, and others, in the upcoming trading sessions.
Wingstop's Original MVP, three ways to love it: Original Lemon Pepper is joined by new Lemon Pepper Chili Crunch and Lemon Pepper Chili Glaze, launching nationwide Sept. 15
, /PRNewswire/ -- Football season is back, and Wingstop (NASDAQ: WING) is bringing more flavor to fans' game day rituals with the Lemon Pepper Trio, alongside new ways to fuel the watch party all season long.
For the first time, Wingstop is taking its iconic Lemon Pepper beyond the original dry rub with two bold new expressions crafted by Wingstop's Flavor Experts, giving fans three ways to get their Lemon Pepper fix:
Wingstop is bringing more flavor to fans’ game day rituals with the new Lemon Pepper Trio.
Introducing the Wingstop Wing Pass, the ultimate season ticket that includes up to 18 Watch Party Bundles — one for every week of the regular football season. Original Lemon Pepper: Zesty lemon and cracked black pepper, the iconic dry rub fans know and love. NEW Lemon Pepper Chili Crunch: The signature Lemon Pepper dry rub finished with a crispy Korean chili crunch for craveable texture and a lingering kick. NEW Lemon Pepper Chili Glaze: A bright, citrusy glaze with sweet heat, topped with crispy Korean chili crunch for a bold, saucy twist on Lemon Pepper. The Lemon Pepper Trio will be available exclusively to Club Wingstop members beginning Sept. 10 before launching nationwide on Sept. 15 for a limited time.* Fans can enjoy the trio across Wingstop's menu, including classic wings, paired perfectly with Wingstop's housemade ranch.
"Lemon Pepper is an iconic flavor, and Wingstop is proud of the role we've played in bringing it to fans around the world," said Michael Skipworth, President and CEO of Wingstop. "We've seen incredible response when we find new ways for fans to experience the flavors they already love, and we're bringing that same energy to our Lemon Pepper Trio. It's our biggest play yet for the rituals that make football season so special, with even more to come."
And because football season is about more than what's on the field, Wingstop is going big for the fans who make game day a weekly tradition. Introducing the Wingstop Wing Pass**, the ultimate season ticket for the dedicated hosts who turn every Sunday into a full spread.
Each Wing Pass includes up to 18 Watch Party Bundles — one for every week of the regular season — each featuring 20 classic wings in up to four flavors, a large fry and large ranch. With only 100 Wing Passes available, fans can bet these will go as fast as the ranch at their watch party.
Club Wingstop members will need to act fast to purchase a Wing Pass beginning Thursday, Sept. 10 at 12 p.m. CT for only $27.99, the price of a single Watch Party Bundle, exclusively on wingshop.com, before they're sold out. Passholders will receive a new Watch Party Bundle offer via their account on the Wingstop app every Sunday morning for the 18-week season, ready to redeem for game day.
*Available for a limited time only at participating locations in the U.S. While supplies last.
**See full Wing Pass Terms and Conditions at Wingstop.com/Offers.
About Wingstop
Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Dallas, TX, Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING) operates and franchises more than 3,000 restaurants worldwide, with approximately 98% of the total restaurant count owned by brand partners. Generating over $5 billion in system-wide sales in fiscal 2025, Wingstop offers made-to-order, always fresh classic and boneless wings, tenders and chicken sandwiches in 12 bold, distinctive flavors, alongside signature sides and iconic housemade ranch and bleu cheese dips. Dedicated to Serving the World Flavor, Wingstop is the Official Chicken Partner of the NBA with a vision to become a Top 10 Global Restaurant Brand. Learn more at wingstop.com or follow @Wingstop on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio purchased a new stake in Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 7,840 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $1,360,000.
Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vident Advisory LLC increased its holdings in Wingstop by 3.9% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 959 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $229,000 after acquiring an additional 36 shares in the last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in Wingstop by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 2,628 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $627,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its holdings in Wingstop by 1.1% during the first quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 5,672 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $879,000 after purchasing an additional 59 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of Wingstop by 76.9% in the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 138 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $33,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Finally, VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al grew its position in shares of Wingstop by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. VIRGINIA RETIREMENT SYSTEMS ET Al now owns 4,784 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,141,000 after purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period.
Wingstop Price Performance WING stock opened at $109.21 on Tuesday. Wingstop Inc. has a 1 year low of $105.43 and a 1 year high of $313.56. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.97 billion, a PE ratio of 25.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.79. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $132.06 and a 200-day simple moving average of $160.34.
Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $185.56 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $190.25 million. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.31% and a net margin of 16.15%.The firm’s revenue was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.00 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.5 EPS for the current year. Wingstop Increases Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, September 5th. Stockholders of record on Saturday, August 15th were issued a dividend of $0.33 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.2%. This is a boost from Wingstop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Wingstop’s payout ratio is presently 31.35%.
Analyst Ratings Changes A number of analysts have recently commented on WING shares. Citigroup cut 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. Piper Sandler set a $173.00 price objective on Wingstop in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on Wingstop from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on Wingstop from $225.00 to $200.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Finally, BTIG Research decreased their target price on Wingstop from $305.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $241.81.
View Our Latest Analysis on WING
About Wingstop (Free Report)
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.
See Also Five stocks we like better than Wingstop 3 Under-the-Radar Defense Stocks With Record Backlogs This Korea ETF Has Soared, But the Rally May Not Be Over Why Guidewire’s Post-Earnings Plunge May Not Last Ride-Share Reckoning: Tesla Drives Into Uber’s Lane Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WING? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING – Free Report).
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The recommendations of Wall Street analysts are often relied on by investors when deciding whether to buy, sell, or hold a stock. Media reports about these brokerage-firm-employed (or sell-side) analysts changing their ratings often affect a stock's price. Do they really matter, though?
Let's take a look at what these Wall Street heavyweights have to say about Wingstop (WING - Free Report) before we discuss the reliability of brokerage recommendations and how to use them to your advantage.
Wingstop currently has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.53, on a scale of 1 to 5 (Strong Buy to Strong Sell), calculated based on the actual recommendations (Buy, Hold, Sell, etc.) made by 29 brokerage firms. An ABR of 1.53 approximates between Strong Buy and Buy.
Of the 29 recommendations that derive the current ABR, 20 are Strong Buy and two are Buy. Strong Buy and Buy respectively account for 69% and 6.9% of all recommendations.
Brokerage Recommendation Trends for WING
Check price target & stock forecast for Wingstop here>>>
The ABR suggests buying Wingstop, but making an investment decision solely on the basis of this information might not be a good idea. According to several studies, brokerage recommendations have little to no success guiding investors to choose stocks with the most potential for price appreciation.
Are you wondering why? The vested interest of brokerage firms in a stock they cover often results in a strong positive bias of their analysts in rating it. Our research shows that for every "Strong Sell" recommendation, brokerage firms assign five "Strong Buy" recommendations.
This means that the interests of these institutions are not always aligned with those of retail investors, giving little insight into the direction of a stock's future price movement. It would therefore be best to use this information to validate your own analysis or a tool that has proven to be highly effective at predicting stock price movements.
Zacks Rank, our proprietary stock rating tool with an impressive externally audited track record, categorizes stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), and is an effective indicator of a stock's price performance in the near future. Therefore, using the ABR to validate the Zacks Rank could be an efficient way of making a profitable investment decision.
ABR Should Not Be Confused With Zacks RankAlthough both Zacks Rank and ABR are displayed in a range of 1--5, they are different measures altogether.
The ABR is calculated solely based on brokerage recommendations and is typically displayed with decimals (example: 1.28). In contrast, the Zacks Rank is a quantitative model allowing investors to harness the power of earnings estimate revisions. It is displayed in whole numbers -- 1 to 5.
It has been and continues to be the case that analysts employed by brokerage firms are overly optimistic with their recommendations. Because of their employers' vested interests, these analysts issue more favorable ratings than their research would support, misguiding investors far more often than helping them.
On the other hand, earnings estimate revisions are at the core of the Zacks Rank. And empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.
In addition, the different Zacks Rank grades are applied proportionately to all stocks for which brokerage analysts provide current-year earnings estimates. In other words, this tool always maintains a balance among its five ranks.
There is also a key difference between the ABR and Zacks Rank when it comes to freshness. When you look at the ABR, it may not be up-to-date. Nonetheless, since brokerage analysts constantly revise their earnings estimates to reflect changing business trends, and their actions get reflected in the Zacks Rank quickly enough, it is always timely in predicting future stock prices.
Is WING a Good Investment?Looking at the earnings estimate revisions for Wingstop, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has remained unchanged over the past month at $4.5.
Analysts' steady views regarding the company's earnings prospects, as indicated by an unchanged consensus estimate, could be a legitimate reason for the stock to perform in line with the broader market in the near term.
The size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, has resulted in a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) for Wingstop. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>
It may therefore be prudent to be a little cautious with the Buy-equivalent ABR for Wingstop.
BlackRock Inc. bought a new stake in Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING – Free Report) during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 2,775,585 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $481,314,000. BlackRock Inc. owned about 10.19% of Wingstop at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. lifted its holdings in Wingstop by 76.9% during the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 138 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $33,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 75.7% in the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 188 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares during the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 121.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 217 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Wingstop during the 4th quarter worth about $63,000. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Wingstop during the 2nd quarter worth about $46,000.
Analyst Ratings Changes Several research firms recently weighed in on WING. Mizuho decreased their target price on Wingstop from $280.00 to $240.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 24th. BTIG Research dropped their price target on shares of Wingstop from $305.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, July 30th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $170.00 to $165.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, July 30th. The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded shares of Wingstop from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $290.00 to $190.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 30th. Finally, UBS Group restated a “neutral” rating on shares of Wingstop in a report on Tuesday, July 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, five have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $241.81.
Get Our Latest Research Report on WING Wingstop Trading Up 1.2% Shares of WING stock opened at $116.84 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $141.79 and its two-hundred day moving average is $170.24. Wingstop Inc. has a twelve month low of $110.44 and a twelve month high of $342.10. The company has a market capitalization of $3.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.37 and a beta of 1.81.
Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 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 negative return on equity of 16.31% and a net margin of 16.15%.The business had revenue of $185.56 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $190.25 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.00 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.5% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Wingstop Increases Dividend The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be paid a $0.33 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. This is an increase from Wingstop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.35%.
Wingstop Profile (Free Report)
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.
Featured Stories Five stocks we like better than Wingstop Visa Just Put Hims & Hers in the Penalty Box—Here’s Why It Matters Treasury Yields Are Surging Again: 3 Stocks That Could Feel the Pain Snowflake Could Be Headed for New Highs Despite Insider Selling MongoDB Is Surging—And the Next Catalyst Is Almost Here Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WING? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING – Free Report).
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Bank of New York Mellon Corp purchased a new stake in Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING – Free Report) in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 463,965 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $80,456,000. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned 1.70% of Wingstop at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 76.9% during the 4th quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 138 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $33,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its stake in Wingstop by 75.7% in the 4th quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 188 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $45,000 after purchasing an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC purchased a new position in Wingstop in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $46,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised 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 worth $49,000 after purchasing an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Wingstop during the fourth quarter worth $63,000.
Wingstop Price Performance Shares of NASDAQ:WING opened at $113.85 on Wednesday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $140.81 and a two-hundred day moving average of $169.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.10 billion, a PE ratio of 27.04, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.81. Wingstop Inc. has a 12 month low of $110.44 and a 12 month high of $342.10.
Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING – Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $185.56 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $190.25 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.00 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current year. Wingstop Increases Dividend The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, September 5th. Investors of record on Saturday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.33 per share. This is a boost from Wingstop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 14th. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio is presently 31.35%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth A number of research firms recently issued reports on WING. TD Cowen reaffirmed a “hold” rating on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Wednesday, July 29th. BTIG Research cut their price target on Wingstop from $305.00 to $265.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, July 30th. Benchmark reduced their price objective on Wingstop from $285.00 to $245.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. Weiss Ratings lowered Wingstop from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Monday, August 17th. Finally, DA Davidson dropped their price objective on Wingstop from $200.00 to $190.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, July 30th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Wingstop has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $241.81.
View Our Latest Report on Wingstop
Wingstop Profile (Free Report)
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.
Featured Stories Five stocks we like better than Wingstop Pathward’s Credit Scare Tests Its Comeback Story Wiring the AI Boom: Rumble’s $13.7B Pivot StoneX: Too Far Too Fast? DICK’s Sporting Goods Faces Pain Now for a Bigger Prize Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WING? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING – Free Report).
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Bamco Inc. NY bought a new stake in shares of Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING – Free Report) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 430,165 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock, valued at approximately $74,595,000. Bamco Inc. NY owned approximately 1.58% of Wingstop at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Baird Financial Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Wingstop in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $256,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in Wingstop by 2,770.6% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,952 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $440,000 after buying an additional 1,884 shares during the period. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 92,439 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $20,852,000 after buying an additional 4,937 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings 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 valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC grew its position in shares of Wingstop by 45.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,387 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $467,000 after buying an additional 434 shares during the period.
Wingstop Trading Down 1.4% NASDAQ:WING opened at $112.24 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $3.06 billion, a PE ratio of 26.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.35 and a beta of 1.81. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $140.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $167.97. Wingstop Inc. has a 12 month low of $110.44 and a 12 month high of $342.10.
Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING – Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, July 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.16. Wingstop had a net margin of 16.15% and a negative return on equity of 16.31%. The business had revenue of $185.56 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $190.25 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.00 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 6.5% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.5 earnings per share for the current year. Wingstop Increases Dividend The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, September 5th. Shareholders of record on Saturday, August 15th will be paid a $0.33 dividend. This represents a $1.32 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.2%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 14th. This is a positive change from Wingstop’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.30. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio is currently 31.35%.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth WING has been the subject of several research reports. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of Wingstop from $264.00 to $234.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, June 24th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Wingstop from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. TD Cowen reiterated a “hold” rating on shares of Wingstop in a report on Wednesday, July 29th. Guggenheim reduced their price objective on Wingstop from $255.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Barclays lowered their price objective on Wingstop from $330.00 to $235.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, five have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $241.81.
View Our Latest Analysis on Wingstop
Wingstop Profile (Free Report)
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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It has been a long year for chicken wing chain restaurant Wingstop (WING -7.47%). Its stock price is down 62% over the past year, and it is trading not just at a 52-week low but at a four-year low of around $122 per share.
But is the sell-off finally over? It may be, as Wingstopʻs stock price soared 8% on Aug. 14 -- one of its best days this year.
The catalyst? Aug. 14 was the date of record for its third-quarter dividend, payable on Sept. 5. That led to a surge of interest and may signal that Wingstop is starting to rebound.
Investors were buying in to qualify for the $ 0.33-per-share dividend payout, up from $0.30 last quarter. But beyond that, investors were looking to buy at a reduced valuation as Wingstop's P/E ratio is down to 27, from almost 43 in June.
Image source: Getty Images.
Why Wingstop stock crashed Wingstop stock has been a solid performer over the years, with an average annualized return of about 16% over the past 10 years, beating the S&P 500.
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However, the past few years have been difficult for Wingstop after a huge post-COVID-19 surge. The expansion that followed the surge was derailed by high inflation, higher costs, lower foot traffic, and massive debt for the fast food stock.
At the same time, Wingstop was way too expensive with a P/E ratio of over 100 in 2023 and 2024. Even as recently as June 2025, it was trading at 57 times earnings. It was all a recipe for a crash.
Wingstop is still seeing declining same-store sales. In Q2, they dropped 7.5%, after falling 8.7% in Q1. Wingstop has now had five straight quarters of same-store sales declines.
Is Wingstop a buy now? But there are some bright spots. Revenue increased 5% due mostly to continued expansion, as Wingstop opened 102 new stores in the quarter. Since the company operates on a franchise model, it charges franchise fees on every store, so its aggressive plan to eventually open 10,000 stores globally continues. It currently has 3,255 stores.
But the company is being more strategic about it, looking to expand more internationally, with 2026 on pace to be a record year for international openings. The company now has 527 international stores, up 29% over the past year. There are 2,728 U.S. locations, up 13%.
Wingstop also saw net income increase 17% to $31.3 million, or $1.15 per share, in Q2. This is due to a decrease in the cost of sales as a percentage of sales to 73.3%, from 75.2% in Q2 of 2025. This was driven by a decrease in food, beverage, and packaging costs. Also, selling, general, and administrative expenses dropped to $30.2 million from $32.9 million a year ago.
So, can investors assume the worst is over? No. Wingstop has had false starts before, so a wait-and-see approach may be best.
But the business has had promising results with its Club Wingstop loyalty program and its quicker and more efficient smart kitchens. When you see same-store sales start to increase again and that valuation tick a bit lower, it will be time to buy Wingstop.
There is no sugarcoating it: The timing on my Wingstop (WING +11.05%) purchases hasn't been great. I've been buying shares of the Buffalo wing franchisor over the last year while the stock's price has ranged from $150 to $210, but Wingstop has only continued to slide downward. The company now trades 74% below its 2024 high.
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While I typically try to avoid doubling down on my losing investments (watering my weeds instead of my flowers, as Motley Fool co-founder David Gardner would put it), I think Wingstop is a unique case that deserves a second look. Here's what makes the once-unstoppable growth stock an interesting buy-the-dip candidate, as it trades at what appears to be a once-in-a-decade valuation.
Image source: Getty Images.
Wingstop's valuation finally makes sense Wingstop grew its revenue by roughly 25% annually over the last decade, with same-store sales frequently in the double digits as well. Thanks to these blistering growth rates, WING stock typically traded at a lofty valuation, peaking at more than 150 times earnings and nearly 100 times earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA).
WING P/E Ratio and EV/EBITDA data by YCharts
However, following five consecutive quarters of negative same-store sales (SSS), Wingstop's valuation is now quite palatable, trading at a decade-long low of 27 times earnings and 18 times EBITDA.
Plugging this 27 times earnings figure into a reverse discount cash flow calculator (Wingstop typically generates similar net income and free cash flow (FCF) figures, if not stronger FCF), Wingstop needs to grow sales by roughly 12% annually over the next decade to live up to this valuation.
That may sound overly optimistic, but management intends to grow its store count by 15%-16% in 2026 and by 10% annually over the long haul, so 12% sales growth isn't outrageous. Currently home to 3,255 stores, Wingstop hopes to reach 10,000 globally, a target that supports this growth algorithm.
That said, Wingstop needs SSS to return to growth for any of these new store expansion plans to matter, but I think brighter days are incoming for investors.
How same-store sales could turn around Wingstop appears to be one of many excellent stocks that have been hampered by the rise of the "k-shaped economy," where more affluent households seem to be doing fine, while lower- and middle-class consumers have reined in their spending. Wingstop management noted that "more than 55% of our domestic restaurants are located in urban trade areas where households are under more financial stress than higher-income households," a trend that has weighed heavily on the stock's results over the last year.
I'm optimistic that this should prove to be a cyclical downturn, at least in the long run. First, enrollments in Club Wingstop (the company's brand new rewards program) are already 22% ahead of management's expectations. More than half of Wingstop's digital transactions are already made by Club Wingstop members, highlighting the rapid adoption of the nascent program. Success from these rewards programs should enable personalized marketing efforts and reward tiers that may help boost customer engagement and, in turn, SSS.
Second, management noted that despite Wingstop's overall SSS decline over the last two quarters, SSS grew by double digits on game days during the World Cup and NBA Finals. To me, this suggests that Wingstop's brand awareness is still quite powerful, and its SSS slowdown stems more from pressured consumers than from the company's brand being in any kind of decline. Wingstop intends to build upon the success of these group occasions on game days with its new Smart Kitchen operating platform, which improves customer satisfaction rates, and by enhancing group meal offerings marketed through its new loyalty program.
Lastly, before declining by 4% in 2025 -- and likely dropping between 4% and 6% in 2026 -- Wingstop grew SSS for 21 straight quarters. Thanks to this incredible track record, I'm willing to give the company some leeway as customers wrestle with inflation in essential products, soaring gas prices, minimal real wage growth, and a tougher macroeconomic environment overall.
That said, it seems this consumer weakness is reflected in Wingstop's reeling share price -- and once-in-a-decade valuation -- leaving investors an opportunity to buy a great compounder at a time when things look bleak. Even following the stock's recent 74% drop, Wingstop has delivered annualized total returns of 16% since its initial public offering in 2015.
WING Total Return Level data by YCharts
In my opinion, this is a top-tier compounder facing a cyclical consumer spending crunch, but the underlying brand and growth outlook remain as robust as ever. It may just take a few quarters for a turnaround to take hold. However, now receiving an all-time high 1.2% dividend yield, with payments raised for eight straight years, I'm happy to double down on the growth stock and hold for the long haul.
Analyst’s Disclosure: I/we have no stock, option or similar derivative position in any of the companies mentioned, and no plans to initiate any such positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Seeking Alpha's Disclosure: Past performance is no guarantee of future results. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. Any views or opinions expressed above may not reflect those of Seeking Alpha as a whole. Seeking Alpha is not a licensed securities dealer, broker or US investment adviser or investment bank. Our analysts are third party authors that include both professional investors and individual investors who may not be licensed or certified by any institute or regulatory body.
Investors often turn to recommendations made by Wall Street analysts before making a Buy, Sell, or Hold decision about a stock. While media reports about rating changes by these brokerage-firm employed (or sell-side) analysts often affect a stock's price, do they really matter?
Before we discuss the reliability of brokerage recommendations and how to use them to your advantage, let's see what these Wall Street heavyweights think about Wingstop (WING - Free Report) .
Wingstop currently has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.53, on a scale of 1 to 5 (Strong Buy to Strong Sell), calculated based on the actual recommendations (Buy, Hold, Sell, etc.) made by 29 brokerage firms. An ABR of 1.53 approximates between Strong Buy and Buy.
Of the 29 recommendations that derive the current ABR, 20 are Strong Buy and two are Buy. Strong Buy and Buy respectively account for 69% and 6.9% of all recommendations.
Brokerage Recommendation Trends for WING
Check price target & stock forecast for Wingstop here>>>
While the ABR calls for buying Wingstop, it may not be wise to make an investment decision solely based on this information. Several studies have shown limited to no success of brokerage recommendations in guiding investors to pick stocks with the best price increase potential.
Do you wonder why? As a result of the vested interest of brokerage firms in a stock they cover, their analysts tend to rate it with a strong positive bias. According to our research, brokerage firms assign five "Strong Buy" recommendations for every "Strong Sell" recommendation.
In other words, their interests aren't always aligned with retail investors, rarely indicating where the price of a stock could actually be heading. Therefore, the best use of this information could be validating your own research or an indicator that has proven to be highly successful in predicting a stock's price movement.
Zacks Rank, our proprietary stock rating tool with an impressive externally audited track record, categorizes stocks into five groups, ranging from Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) to Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell), and is an effective indicator of a stock's price performance in the near future. Therefore, using the ABR to validate the Zacks Rank could be an efficient way of making a profitable investment decision.
ABR Should Not Be Confused With Zacks RankIn spite of the fact that Zacks Rank and ABR both appear on a scale from 1 to 5, they are two completely different measures.
Broker recommendations are the sole basis for calculating the ABR, which is typically displayed in decimals (such as 1.28). The Zacks Rank, on the other hand, is a quantitative model designed to harness the power of earnings estimate revisions. It is displayed in whole numbers -- 1 to 5.
Analysts employed by brokerage firms have been and continue to be overly optimistic with their recommendations. Since the ratings issued by these analysts are more favorable than their research would support because of the vested interest of their employers, they mislead investors far more often than they guide.
On the other hand, earnings estimate revisions are at the core of the Zacks Rank. And empirical research shows a strong correlation between trends in earnings estimate revisions and near-term stock price movements.
Furthermore, the different grades of the Zacks Rank are applied proportionately across all stocks for which brokerage analysts provide earnings estimates for the current year. In other words, at all times, this tool maintains a balance among the five ranks it assigns.
Another key difference between the ABR and Zacks Rank is freshness. The ABR is not necessarily up-to-date when you look at it. But, since brokerage analysts keep revising their earnings estimates to account for a company's changing business trends, and their actions get reflected in the Zacks Rank quickly enough, it is always timely in indicating future price movements.
Should You Invest in WING?In terms of earnings estimate revisions for Wingstop, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year has declined 1.4% over the past month to $4.5.
Analysts' growing pessimism over the company's earnings prospects, as indicated by strong agreement among them in revising EPS estimates lower, could be a legitimate reason for the stock to plunge in the near term.
The size of the recent change in the consensus estimate, along with three other factors related to earnings estimates, has resulted in a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) for Wingstop. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stocks here >>>>
Therefore, it could be wise to take the Buy-equivalent ABR for Wingstop with a grain of salt.
To celebrate the returning flavors, Wingstop introduces the first-ever Delivery Cowboy experience, plus $0 delivery with qualifying purchase from Aug. 14-16 using code GIDDYUP
, /PRNewswire/ -- Wingstop (NASDAQ: WING) is saddling up for the Flavor Rodeo, bringing fan-favorites Carolina Gold and Jamaican Jerk back to menus nationwide* after prior limited-time runs. The flavors will be available exclusively to Club Wingstop members starting Aug. 7, and to all fans beginning Aug. 11, alongside two new additions: Hot Honey Mustard Dip and Sprite Strawberry Rodeo**, available exclusively at Wingstop locations featuring Coca-Cola Freestyle dispensers nationwide.
Fan-favorite flavors Carolina Gold and Jamaican Jerk return to Wingstop for a limited time.
Wingstop celebrates the return of the BBQ flavors with the Delivery Cowboy experience. In true rodeo fashion, Wingstop is giving flavors this bold the entrance they deserve by trading four wheels for four hooves with a Delivery Cowboy experience in the Fort Worth Stockyards — the kind of launch only the Dallas-based flavor giant could pull off.
For one afternoon only on Friday, Aug. 7, from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. CT, select Club Wingstop members who visit Cowtown Coliseum can be among the first to try Carolina Gold and Jamaican Jerk, with their orders hand-delivered on horseback by Wingstop's Delivery Cowboys, while supplies last. The experience delivers on Wingstop's promise to turn fan loyalty into unforgettable real-world moments that extend beyond the menu.
Forget standard, play-it-safe BBQ. The Flavor Rodeo delivers striking flavor contrasts designed to give taste buds a wild ride.
Carolina Gold: Sweet, tangy Southern BBQ with rich golden flavor inspired by the Carolinas. Jamaican Jerk: Warm Caribbean spices and savory herbs come together for a bold island-inspired flavor. Hot Honey Mustard Dip: Sweet honey mustard with a fiery kick for the perfect balance of sweet and heat. Sprite Strawberry Rodeo: A blend of a bright citrus zip of lemon-lime notes with smooth strawberry sweetness for a crisp, refreshing finish. "While everyone else serves the expected barbecue, Wingstop is giving fans a lineup so strong it deserves an equally bold entrance," said Michael Skipworth, President and CEO of Wingstop. "The Flavor Rodeo brings back two fan favorites, adds two new ways to elevate every order and gives Club Wingstop members an experience they won't find anywhere else."
Can't make it to Fort Worth? Saddle up at your nearest Wingstop or order online through Wingstop.com or the Wingstop app to experience the Flavor Rodeo for yourself. Fans nationwide can get in on the action with code GIDDYUP to receive $0 delivery with qualifying purchase from Aug. 14-16 at participating U.S. locations.
Club Wingstop members can continue to unlock exclusive access to flavor launches, member-only perks and unique brand experiences by joining through the Wingstop app or Wingstop.com.
*Available for a limited time only at participating locations in the U.S. While supplies last.
**"Sprite" is a registered trademark of the Coca-Cola Company.
About Wingstop
Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Dallas, TX, Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING) operates and franchises more than 3,000 restaurants worldwide, with approximately 98% of the total restaurant count owned by brand partners. Generating over $5 billion in system-wide sales in fiscal 2025, Wingstop offers made-to-order, always fresh classic and boneless wings, tenders and chicken sandwiches in 12 bold, distinctive flavors, alongside signature sides and iconic housemade ranch and bleu cheese dips. Dedicated to Serving the World Flavor, Wingstop is the Official Chicken Partner of the NBA with a vision to become a Top 10 Global Restaurant Brand. Learn more at wingstop.com or follow @Wingstop on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
Top Wall Street analysts changed their outlook on these top names. For a complete view of all analyst rating changes, including upgrades, downgrades and initiations, please see our analyst ratings page.
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Wingstop Inc. faces deteriorating fundamentals, with Q2 results prompting a further cut to its full-year outlook. WING's high single-digit same-restaurant sales declines sharply underperform peers, raising concerns about franchisee appetite for new openings. The company's capital-light model is threatened by weakening store performance and a highly competitive, promotion-driven restaurant landscape.
Investors Are Buying Into Sweetgreen Again—Should They?Wingstop NASDAQ: WING reported a 7.5% decline in domestic same-store sales for its fiscal second quarter of 2026, as the restaurant chain said its core lower-income consumer faced greater pressure from inflation and economic uncertainty than management had anticipated.
President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Skipworth said the company’s financial performance fell short of expectations, but he characterized the sales weakness as macroeconomic rather than structural. More than 55% of Wingstop’s domestic restaurants are in urban trade areas with households facing greater financial stress, he said. Digital guest visits and frequency in those areas declined about 9% during the quarter, while visits in higher-income trade areas increased.
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MarketBeat Week in Review – 06/08 - 06/12“The challenge we’re facing today is not structural and not a reflection of our brand relevance or product quality,” Skipworth said. He noted that aided brand awareness increased by more than five percentage points over the past year and said independent tracking continues to rank Wingstop among the stronger restaurant brands for quality.
Value messaging shifts toward core guests Wingstop said it will refine its marketing strategy in the second half of 2026 to more explicitly communicate value, particularly for group occasions. Skipworth said guests can feed a group at Wingstop for approximately $8 per person, but the company needs to make that value more apparent amid broader industry price-point messaging.
Short Sellers Are Piling Into Wingstop, But Analysts See Big UpsideDuring the quarter, the company tested several value-oriented promotions, including a $1 wing offer, a “30 for $30” bundle and “Flavors Under $10” messaging. The 30-wing promotion increased average first-party ticket by nearly 17%, as customers added items and built larger bundles, according to Skipworth. Satisfaction scores improved in 89% of markets where the lower-price flavor promotion ran.
Management said the tests helped improve transaction trends in more financially stressed trade areas, though some of that transaction improvement was offset by lower ticket. Wingstop plans to pair value messaging with its established focus on flavor, quality and abundance rather than broadly discounting the menu.
Skipworth also pointed to higher sales during major sporting events as evidence that the brand remains relevant with its core consumers. On certain World Cup match days, same-store sales moved into double-digit growth, while similar results occurred in markets where hometown teams competed in the NBA Finals. Customers on those occasions often ordered for groups, increasing average ticket and choosing bundled offerings, he said.
Club Wingstop exceeds early enrollment expectations The company nationally launched Club Wingstop, its first loyalty program, during the quarter. Wingstop said enrollments in the program are tracking 22% ahead of its expectations just weeks after launch. Loyalty-related sales represented nearly half of first-party digital sales, exceeding results from pilot markets.
Management said the program provides a platform for personalized offers, targeted communications, exclusive experiences and loyalty challenges. Alex Kaleida, senior vice president and chief financial officer, said the company’s customer relationship management investments can help deliver more value-focused messages to guests under financial pressure while providing flavor- or quality-oriented communications to other customers.
Wingstop said approximately 70% of enrolled loyalty members had already returned for another visit. The company identified the typical early Club Wingstop member as its younger, lower-income core consumer demographic.
The chain also continued rolling out its Wingstop Smart Kitchen operating platform. Skipworth said the initiative has improved guest satisfaction, speed, consistency and restaurant execution, although the current sales environment has masked its near-term impact on same-store sales. Historically lower-performing restaurants improved digital guest satisfaction by more than 11 percentage points, reducing the performance gap across the system by more than 40%, according to the company.
Sales growth and profit increase despite same-store sales decline Systemwide sales increased 5.3% to approximately $1.4 billion, supported by new restaurant openings. Royalty revenue, franchise fees and other revenue rose 8.7% to $86.8 million.
Company-owned restaurant sales increased 5.3% to $34.2 million. Company-owned same-store sales declined 2.5%, outperforming the broader system. Net income rose 16.9% from the prior year to $31.3 million, or $1.15 per diluted share. Adjusted EBITDA increased 12.5% to $66.6 million. Company-owned cost of sales improved 190 basis points to 73.3% of company-owned restaurant sales, primarily due to lower bone-in wing costs. Kaleida said the company-owned portfolio benefited from its concentration in the Dallas-Fort Worth market, which has high brand awareness and a more diversified consumer base than the broader Wingstop system.
Wingstop updated its full-year domestic same-store sales outlook to a decline of 4% to 6%, citing second-quarter performance, the macroeconomic environment and recent fuel-price inflation. The company reiterated its forecast for 15% to 16% global unit growth and said the fourth quarter is expected to be its largest period for net new restaurant openings. It also updated its SG&A outlook to $140 million to $143 million and projected stock-based compensation expense of approximately $24 million.
Development pipeline remains a focus Despite the weaker sales trend, Wingstop said its development pipeline and franchisee demand remain strong. Domestic franchisees opened more than 300 restaurants in 46 states over the last 12 months, representing growth of more than 13%.
Internationally, the company surpassed 100 restaurants in the United Kingdom, opened a flagship location in Singapore and said it remains on track to enter India later this year. Wingstop also signed a development agreement for Poland, where management sees an opportunity for more than 100 restaurants.
In the third quarter, Wingstop expects to close on the acquisition of 13 restaurants outside the Dallas-Fort Worth area for approximately $32 million. The company said the market could support an additional 25 company-owned restaurants over time. The acquired locations are expected to contribute about $7 million in revenue and $1 million in adjusted EBITDA for the balance of 2026, net of royalty impact.
The board also increased Wingstop’s quarterly cash dividend to $0.33 per share from $0.30 per share. Through the first half of the year, the company repurchased 374,324 shares for $78.5 million, with approximately $313 million remaining under its repurchase authorization at quarter-end.
About Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING)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.
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].
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Wingstop Inc. (WING) Q2 2026 Earnings Call July 29, 2026 10:00 AM EDT
Company Participants
Sarah Niehaus - Senior Director of Investor Relations & Corporate Finance
Michael Skipworth - President, CEO & Director
Alex Kaleida - Chief Financial Officer
Conference Call Participants
David Tarantino - Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, Research Division
Sara Senatore - BofA Securities, Research Division
Jon Tower - Citigroup Inc., Research Division
Brian Harbour - Morgan Stanley, Research Division
James Salera - Stephens Inc., Research Division
Zachary Fadem - Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, Research Division
Danilo Gargiulo - Bernstein Institutional Services LLC, Research Division
Gregory Francfort - Guggenheim Securities, LLC, Research Division
Brian Vaccaro - Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Research Division
Presentation
Operator
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for standing by. Welcome to Wingstop Inc.'s Fiscal Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call. [Operator Instructions]
Please note that this conference is being recorded today, Wednesday, July 29, 2026. On the call today are Michael Skipworth, President and Chief Executive Officer; Alex Kaleida, Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer; and Sarah Niehaus, Senior Director of Investor Relations.
I would now like to turn the conference over to Sarah. Please go ahead.
Sarah Niehaus
Senior Director of Investor Relations & Corporate Finance
Thank you, and welcome to the Fiscal Second Quarter 2026 Earnings Conference Call for Wingstop. Our results were published earlier this morning and are available on our Investor Relations website at ir.wingstop.com. Our discussion today includes forward-looking statements. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from what we currently expect.
Our SEC filings describe various risks that could affect our future operating results and financial condition. We use certain non-GAAP financial measures that we believe can be useful in evaluating our performance. Presentation
For the quarter ended June 2026, Wingstop (WING - Free Report) reported revenue of $185.56 million, up 6.4% over the same period last year. EPS came in at $1.18, compared to $1.00 in the year-ago quarter.
The reported revenue compares to the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $190.11 million, representing a surprise of -2.39%. The company delivered an EPS surprise of +15.69%, with the consensus EPS estimate being $1.02.
While investors closely watch year-over-year changes in headline numbers -- revenue and earnings -- and how they compare to Wall Street expectations to determine their next course of action, some key metrics always provide a better insight into a company's underlying performance.
As these metrics influence top- and bottom-line performance, comparing them to the year-ago numbers and what analysts estimated helps investors project a stock's price performance more accurately.
Here is how Wingstop performed in the just reported quarter in terms of the metrics most widely monitored and projected by Wall Street analysts:
Total System-wide Restaurants: 3,255 versus the five-analyst average estimate of 3,261.Domestic same store sales growth: -7.5% versus -5.4% estimated by five analysts on average.Total Franchise Restaurants: 3,198 versus the four-analyst average estimate of 3,204.Number of Restaurants at end of period - International Franchised Activity: 527 versus the four-analyst average estimate of 525.Total Domestic Restaurants: 2,728 compared to the 2,736 average estimate based on four analysts.Number of Restaurants at end of period - Domestic Company-Owned Activity: 57 versus the four-analyst average estimate of 58.Number of Restaurants at end of period - Domestic Franchised Activity: 2,671 versus 2,679 estimated by four analysts on average.Company-owned domestic same store sales growth: -2.5% versus the three-analyst average estimate of -1.3%.New Restaurant Openings - International Franchised Activity: 30 versus the three-analyst average estimate of 25.Revenue- Royalty revenue, franchise fees and other: $86.84 million compared to the $87.84 million average estimate based on five analysts. The reported number represents a change of +8.7% year over year.Revenue- Company-owned restaurant sales: $34.18 million versus the five-analyst average estimate of $35.35 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +5.3%.Revenue- Advertising fees: $64.54 million versus the five-analyst average estimate of $66.92 million. The reported number represents a year-over-year change of +4.2%.View all Key Company Metrics for Wingstop here>>>
Shares of Wingstop have returned -22.2% over the past month versus the Zacks S&P 500 composite's +1.9% change. The stock currently has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell), indicating that it could underperform the broader market in the near term.
Wingstop (WING - Free Report) came out with quarterly earnings of $1.18 per share, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.02 per share. This compares to earnings of $1 per share a year ago. These figures are adjusted for non-recurring items.
This quarterly report represents an earnings surprise of +15.69%. A quarter ago, it was expected that this restaurant chain would post earnings of $1.02 per share when it actually produced earnings of $1.18, delivering a surprise of +15.69%.
Over the last four quarters, the company has surpassed consensus EPS estimates four times.
Wingstop, which belongs to the Zacks Retail - Restaurants industry, posted revenues of $185.56 million for the quarter ended June 2026, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 2.39%. This compares to year-ago revenues of $174.33 million. The company has not been able to beat consensus revenue estimates over the last four quarters.
The sustainability of the stock's immediate price movement based on the recently-released numbers and future earnings expectations will mostly depend on management's commentary on the earnings call.
Wingstop shares have lost about 43.5% since the beginning of the year versus the S&P 500's gain of 8.5%.
What's Next for Wingstop?While Wingstop has underperformed the market so far this year, the question that comes to investors' minds is: what's next for the stock?
There are no easy answers to this key question, but one reliable measure that can help investors address this is the company's earnings outlook. Not only does this include current consensus earnings expectations for the coming quarter(s), but also how these expectations have changed lately.
Empirical research shows a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions. Investors can track such revisions by themselves or rely on a tried-and-tested rating tool like the Zacks Rank, which has an impressive track record of harnessing the power of earnings estimate revisions.
Ahead of this earnings release, the estimate revisions trend for Wingstop was unfavorable. While the magnitude and direction of estimate revisions could change following the company's just-released earnings report, the current status translates into a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) for the stock. So, the shares are expected to underperform the market in the near future. You can see the complete list of today's Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
It will be interesting to see how estimates for the coming quarters and the current fiscal year change in the days ahead. The current consensus EPS estimate is $1.15 on $197.72 million in revenues for the coming quarter and $4.55 on $773.05 million in revenues for the current fiscal year.
Investors should be mindful of the fact that the outlook for the industry can have a material impact on the performance of the stock as well. In terms of the Zacks Industry Rank, Retail - Restaurants is currently in the bottom 26% of the 250 plus Zacks industries. Our research shows that the top 50% of the Zacks-ranked industries outperform the bottom 50% by a factor of more than 2 to 1.
One other stock from the same industry, Shake Shack (SHAK - Free Report) , is yet to report results for the quarter ended June 2026. The results are expected to be released on August 5.
This burger chain is expected to post quarterly earnings of $0.33 per share in its upcoming report, which represents a year-over-year change of -25%. The consensus EPS estimate for the quarter has been revised 0% higher over the last 30 days to the current level.
Shake Shack's revenues are expected to be $417.79 million, up 17.2% from the year-ago quarter.
102 Net New Openings in Second Quarter, 16% Unit Growth
, /PRNewswire/ -- Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING) today announced financial results for the fiscal second quarter ended June 27, 2026.
"During the second quarter, we continued making meaningful progress against the strategic priorities that we believe will drive the next phase of growth for Wingstop," said Michael Skipworth, President and Chief Executive Officer. "The national launch of Club Wingstop marked an important milestone in building deeper relationships with our guests, while our continued investments in value, flavor innovation and Smart Kitchen are strengthening the business in ways that position us to win more occasions. Combined with one of the strongest development pipelines in the industry, these investments reinforce our confidence in the long-term opportunity to become a Top 10 Global Restaurant Brand."
Q2 2026 Highlights
System-wide sales of $1.4 billion increased 5.3% vs. Q2 2025 102 net new openings Domestic restaurant AUV of $1.9 million Domestic same store sales decreased 7.5% vs. Q2 2025 Digital sales represented 71.6% of system-wide sales Total revenue of $185.6 million, an increase of 6.4%, vs. Q2 2025 Net income, increased 16.9% to $31.3 million, or $1.15 per diluted share Adjusted net income1 and adjusted earnings per diluted share1, both non-GAAP measures, increased 14.9% to $32.1 million, or $1.18 per diluted share; and Adjusted EBITDA1, increased 12.5% vs. Q2 2025 to $66.6 million 1
See "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and the reconciliation tables accompanying this release for a discussion and reconciliation of certain non-GAAP financial measures included in this release.
Key Operating Metrics
Thirteen Weeks Ended
June 27, 2026
June 28, 2025
Number of system-wide restaurants open at end of period
3,255
2,818
Number of domestic franchise restaurants open at end of period
2,671
2,357
Number of international franchise restaurants open at end of period (1)
527
407
System-wide sales (in millions)
$ 1,411
$ 1,340
Domestic AUV (in thousands)
$ 1,893
$ 2,112
Domestic same store sales growth
(7.5) %
(1.9) %
Company-owned domestic same store sales growth
(2.5) %
3.6 %
Net income (in thousands)
$ 31,288
$ 26,763
Adjusted net income (in thousands)
$ 32,092
$ 27,929
Adjusted EBITDA (in thousands)
$ 66,627
$ 59,205
(1)
Including U.S. territories.
Q2 2026 Financial Results
Total revenue for the second quarter 2026 increased to $185.6 million from $174.3 million in the prior second quarter. Royalty revenue, franchise fees and other increased $7.0 million, of which $11.2 million was due to net new franchise development and $0.8 million related to an increase in vendor rebates, partially offset by a decrease of $5.0 million due to a 7.5% decline in domestic same store sales contributed by lower transaction volumes, reflecting continued pressure on consumer spending. Advertising fees increased $2.6 million due to a 5.3% increase in system-wide sales in the second quarter 2026. Company-owned restaurant sales increased $1.7 million due to the three additional corporate stores opened or acquired since the prior year period.
Cost of sales was $25.1 million compared to $24.4 million in the prior second quarter. As a percentage of company-owned restaurant sales, cost of sales decreased to 73.3% from 75.2% in the prior second quarter. The decrease as a percentage of company-owned restaurant sales was primarily driven by a decline in food, beverage and packaging costs, reflecting a decrease in the cost of bone-in chicken wings as compared to the prior second quarter.
Selling, general & administrative ("SG&A") expense decreased $2.7 million to $30.2 million from $32.9 million in the prior second quarter. The decrease in SG&A expense was primarily driven by $2.3 million in reduced stock compensation expense due to forfeitures recognized in the current period. Also contributing to the decrease was a $1.6 million reduction in payroll costs which was partially offset by a $1.5 million increase in professional fees.
Income tax expense was $13.4 million, yielding an effective tax rate of 29.9%, comparable to 27.2% in the prior-year period. The increase in total tax expense is primarily due an increase in state income taxes and other non-deductible items.
Financial Outlook
The Company's outlook is dependent on the macro-environment which is inherently difficult to predict given current high levels of uncertainty. The Company is providing updated guidance for 2026:
A decline of 4% to 6% in domestic same store sales growth; SG&A of between $140 - $143 million, which includes $3 million of restructuring charges related to corporate realignment; Stock-based compensation expense of approximately $24 million; and Depreciation and amortization of approximately $33 million. Additionally, the Company reiterates guidance for 2026:
Global unit growth rate of 15% to 16%; and Interest expense, net of approximately $43 million. Restaurant Development
As of June 27, 2026, there were 3,255 Wingstop restaurants system-wide. This included 2,728 restaurants in the United States, of which 2,671 were franchised restaurants and 57 were company-owned, and 527 franchised restaurants were in international markets, including U.S. territories. During the second quarter 2026, there were 102 net system-wide Wingstop restaurant openings.
Quarterly Dividend
In recognition of our strong cash flow generation and our commitment to returning value to stockholders, on July 28, 2026, our board of directors authorized and declared a quarterly dividend of $0.33 per share of common stock, resulting in a total dividend of approximately $9.0 million. This dividend will be paid on September 5, 2026 to stockholders of record as of August 15, 2026.
The following definitions apply to these terms as used in this release:
Domestic average unit volume ("AUV") consists of the average annual sales of all restaurants that have been open for a trailing 52-week period or longer. This measure is calculated by dividing sales during the applicable period for all restaurants being measured by the number of restaurants being measured. Domestic AUV includes revenue from both company-owned and franchised restaurants. Domestic AUV allows management to assess our domestic company-owned and franchised restaurant economics. Changes in domestic AUV are primarily driven by increases in same store sales and are also influenced by opening new restaurants.
Domestic same store sales reflects the change in year-over-year sales for the same store restaurant base. We define the same store restaurant base to include those restaurants open for at least 52 full weeks. This measure highlights the performance of existing restaurants, while excluding the impact of new restaurant openings and permanent closures. We review same store sales for domestic company-owned restaurants as well as system-wide domestic restaurants. Domestic same store sales growth is driven by increases in transactions and average transaction size. Transaction size increases are driven by price increases or favorable mix shift from either an increase in items purchased or shifts into higher priced items.
System-wide sales represents net sales for all of our company-owned and franchised restaurants, as reported by franchisees. This measure allows management to better assess changes in our royalty revenue, our overall store performance, the health of our brand and the strength of our market position relative to competitors. Our system-wide sales growth is driven by new restaurant openings as well as increases in same store sales.
EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA is defined as net income before interest expense, net, income tax expense (benefit), and depreciation and amortization (EBITDA), further adjusted for losses on debt extinguishment and financing transactions, transaction costs, costs and fees associated with investments in our strategic initiatives, gains and losses on non-recurring transactions, certain system implementation costs, certain restructuring charges, and stock-based compensation expense.
Adjusted net income is defined as net income adjusted for losses on debt extinguishment and financing transactions, transaction costs, costs and fees associated with investments in our strategic initiatives, gains and losses on non-recurring transactions, certain system implementation costs, certain restructuring charges, and related tax adjustments.
Adjusted earnings per diluted share is defined as adjusted net income divided by weighted average diluted share count.
We caution investors that amounts presented in accordance with our definitions above may not be comparable to similar measures disclosed by our competitors because not all companies and analysts calculate certain key operating metrics or non-GAAP measurements in the same manner.
Conference Call and Webcast
We will host a conference call today to discuss the second fiscal quarter 2026 financial results at 10:00 AM Eastern Time. The conference call can be joined telephonically by dialing 1-877-259-5243 or 1-412-317-5176 (international) and asking for the Wingstop conference call. A replay will be available two hours after the call and can be accessed by dialing 1-855-669-9658 or 1-412-317-0088 (international), then entering the replay code 4572027. The replay will be available through Wednesday, August 5, 2026.
The conference call will also be webcast live and later archived on the investor relations section of Wingstop's corporate website at ir.wingstop.com under the 'News & Events' section.
About Wingstop
Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Dallas, TX, Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING) operates and franchises more than 3,000 restaurants worldwide, with approximately 98% of the total restaurant count owned by brand partners. Generating over $5 billion in system-wide sales in fiscal 2025, Wingstop offers made-to-order, always fresh classic and boneless wings, tenders, and chicken sandwiches in 12 bold, distinctive flavors, alongside signature sides and iconic housemade ranch and bleu cheese dips.
Dedicated to Serving the World Flavor, Wingstop is the Official Chicken Partner of the NBA with a vision to become a Top 10 Global Restaurant Brand.
Learn more at wingstop.com or follow @Wingstop on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
To supplement our consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, we use non-GAAP financial measures, including those indicated above. By providing non-GAAP financial measures, together with a reconciliation to the most comparable GAAP measure, we believe we are enhancing investors' understanding of our business and our results of operations, as well as assisting investors in evaluating how well we are executing our strategic initiatives. These measures are not intended to be considered in isolation or as substitutes for, or superior to, financial measures prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. The non-GAAP measures used in this press release may be different from the measures used by other companies. A reconciliation of each measure to the most directly comparable GAAP measure is available in this news release. In addition, the Current Report on Form 8-K furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") concurrent with the issuance of this press release includes a more detailed description of each of these non-GAAP financial measures, together with a discussion of the usefulness and purpose of such measures.
Forward-looking Statements
This news release includes statements of our expectations, intentions, plans and beliefs that constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and are intended to come within the safe harbor protection provided by those sections. These statements, which involve risks and uncertainties, relate to the discussion of our business strategies and our expectations concerning future operations, margins, profitability, trends, liquidity and capital resources and to analyses and other information that are based on forecasts of future results and estimates of amounts not yet determinable. These forward-looking statements can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms "may," "will," "should," "expect," "intend," "plan," "outlook," "guidance," "anticipate," "believe," "think," "estimate," "seek," "predict," "can," "could," "project," "potential" or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology, although not all forward-looking statements are accompanied by such terms. Examples of forward-looking statements in this news release include, but are not limited to, our 2026 fiscal year outlook for domestic same store sales growth, global unit growth, SG&A expense, stock-based compensation expense, interest expense, net and depreciation and amortization. These forward-looking statements are made based on expectations and beliefs concerning future events affecting us and are subject to uncertainties, risks, and factors relating to our operations and business environments, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control, that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those matters expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Please refer to the risk factors discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, which can be found at the SEC's website www.sec.gov. The discussion of these risks is specifically incorporated by reference into this news release.
When considering forward-looking statements in this news release or that we make in other reports or statements, you should keep in mind the cautionary statements in this news release and future reports we file with the SEC. New risks and uncertainties arise from time to time, and we cannot predict when they may arise or how they may affect us. Any forward-looking statement in this news release speaks only as of the date on which it was made. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in any forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.
Media Contact
Brett LeVecchio
[email protected]
Investor Contact
Sarah Niehaus
[email protected]
WINGSTOP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Balance Sheets
(amounts in thousands, except share and per share data)
June 27,
2026
December 27,
2025
(Unaudited)
Assets
Current assets
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 127,455
$ 196,572
Restricted cash
25,994
25,994
Accounts receivable, net
25,108
20,823
Prepaid expenses and other current assets
10,130
7,956
Advertising fund assets, restricted
19,630
16,143
Total current assets
208,317
267,488
Property and equipment, net
153,075
130,581
Operating lease assets
49,380
48,637
Goodwill
83,875
83,875
Trademarks
32,700
32,700
Investments
90,693
87,164
Other non-current assets, net
39,951
42,964
Total assets
$ 657,991
$ 693,409
Liabilities and stockholders' deficit
Current liabilities
Accounts payable
$ 10,267
$ 12,846
Current portion of operating lease liabilities
3,713
3,232
Other current liabilities
36,596
49,744
Advertising fund liabilities
19,630
16,143
Total current liabilities
70,206
81,965
Long-term debt, net
1,210,589
1,209,094
Operating lease liabilities
58,173
58,080
Deferred revenues, net of current
51,471
47,721
Deferred income tax liabilities, net
40,345
33,142
Other non-current liabilities
194
169
Total liabilities
1,430,978
1,430,171
Commitments and contingencies
Stockholders' deficit
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized;
27,240,351 and 27,540,619 shares issued and outstanding as of June 27,
2026 and December 27, 2025, respectively
272
275
Additional paid-in-capital
2,409
1,529
Retained deficit
(779,246)
(744,915)
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)
3,578
6,349
Total stockholders' deficit
(772,987)
(736,762)
Total liabilities and stockholders' deficit
$ 657,991
$ 693,409
WINGSTOP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Consolidated Statements of Operations
(amounts in thousands, except per share data)
Thirteen Weeks Ended
June 27,
2026
June 28,
2025
(Unaudited)
(Unaudited)
Revenue:
Royalty revenue, franchise fees and other
$ 86,844
$ 79,889
Advertising fees
64,536
61,962
Company-owned restaurant sales
34,184
32,478
Total revenue
185,564
174,329
Costs and expenses:
Cost of sales (1)
25,068
24,405
Advertising expenses
68,417
65,533
Selling, general and administrative
30,236
32,937
Depreciation and amortization
7,212
6,220
Total costs and expenses
130,933
129,095
Operating income
54,631
45,234
Interest expense, net
9,813
8,469
Investment (income) expense
167
—
Income before income tax expense
44,651
36,765
Income tax expense
13,363
10,002
Net income
$ 31,288
$ 26,763
Earnings per share
Basic
$ 1.15
$ 0.96
Diluted
$ 1.15
$ 0.96
Weighted average shares outstanding
Basic
27,235
27,912
Diluted
27,252
27,997
Dividends per share
$ 0.30
$ 0.27
(1)
Cost of sales includes all operating expenses of company-owned restaurants, including advertising expenses, but excludes
depreciation and amortization, which are presented separately.
WINGSTOP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Unaudited Supplemental Information
Cost of Sales Margin Analysis
(amounts in thousands)
Thirteen Weeks Ended
June 27, 2026
June 28, 2025
In dollars
As a % of
company-owned
restaurant sales
In dollars
As a % of
company-owned
restaurant sales
Cost of sales:
Food, beverage and packaging costs
$ 12,040
35.2 %
$ 11,937
36.8 %
Labor costs
7,763
22.7 %
7,441
22.9 %
Other restaurant operating expenses
6,180
18.1 %
5,821
17.9 %
Vendor rebates
(915)
(2.7) %
(794)
(2.4) %
Total cost of sales
$ 25,068
73.3 %
$ 24,405
75.2 %
WINGSTOP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Unaudited Supplemental Information
Restaurant Count
Thirteen Weeks Ended
June 27,
2026
June 28,
2025
Domestic Franchised Activity
Beginning of period
2,596
2,250
Openings
76
110
Closures
(1)
—
Acquired by Company
—
(3)
Restaurants end of period
2,671
2,357
Domestic Company-Owned Activity
Beginning of period
57
51
Openings
—
1
Closures
—
(1)
Acquired by Company
—
3
Restaurants end of period
57
54
Total Domestic Restaurants
2,728
2,411
International Franchised Activity(1)
Beginning of period
500
388
Openings
30
21
Closures
(3)
(2)
Restaurants end of period
527
407
Total System-wide Restaurants
3,255
2,818
(1)
Includes U.S. territories.
WINGSTOP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Non-GAAP Financial Measures - EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA
(Unaudited)
(amounts in thousands)
Thirteen Weeks Ended
June 27,
2026
June 28,
2025
Net income
$ 31,288
$ 26,763
Interest expense, net
9,813
8,469
Income tax expense
13,363
10,002
Depreciation and amortization
7,212
6,220
EBITDA
$ 61,676
$ 51,454
Additional adjustments:
System implementation costs (a)
514
1,534
Amortization of capitalized system implementation costs (b)
467
—
Restructuring charges (c)
77
—
Stock-based compensation expense (d)
3,893
6,217
Adjusted EBITDA
$ 66,627
$ 59,205
(a)
System implementation costs represent non-recurring expenses incurred related to the development and implementation of new enterprise resource planning, human capital management, and global development technology, which are included in Selling, general and administrative on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Costs related to these initiatives are not expected to recur beyond the current period.
(b)
Represents amortization associated with capitalized cloud computing costs related to our system implementation, which are included in Selling, general and administrative on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
(c)
Represents certain restructuring charges related to corporate realignment announced on January 13, 2026.
(d)
Includes non-cash, stock-based compensation, net of forfeitures.
WINGSTOP INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
Non-GAAP Financial Measures - Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted EPS
(Unaudited)
(amounts in thousands, except per share data)
Thirteen Weeks Ended
June 27,
2026
June 28,
2025
Numerator:
Net income
$ 31,288
$ 26,763
Adjustments:
System implementation costs (a)
514
1,534
Amortization of capitalized system implementation costs (b)
467
—
Restructuring charges (c)
77
—
Tax effect of adjustments (d)
(254)
(368)
Adjusted net income
$ 32,092
$ 27,929
Denominator:
Weighted-average shares outstanding - diluted
27,252
27,997
Adjusted earnings per diluted share
$ 1.18
$ 1.00
(a)
System implementation costs represent non-recurring expenses incurred related to the development and implementation of new enterprise resource planning, human capital management, and global development technology, which are included in Selling, general and administrative on the Consolidated Statements of Operations. Costs related to these initiatives are not expected to recur beyond the current period.
(b)
Represents amortization associated with capitalized cloud computing costs related to our system implementation, which are included in Selling, general and administrative on the Consolidated Statements of Operations.
(c)
Represents certain restructuring charges related to corporate realignment announced on January 13, 2026.
(d)
Represents the tax effect of the aforementioned adjustments to reflect corporate income taxes at an assumed effective tax rate of 24% for the thirteen weeks ended June 27, 2026, which includes provisions for U.S. federal income taxes, and assumes the respective statutory rates for applicable state and local jurisdictions.
Atreides Management LP reduced its position in shares of Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING – Free Report) by 30.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 270,303 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after selling 119,702 shares during the quarter. Wingstop comprises about 0.8% of Atreides Management LP’s portfolio, making the stock its 29th biggest position. Atreides Management LP owned approximately 0.99% of Wingstop worth $41,889,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Baird Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Wingstop in the 1st quarter valued at $256,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in Wingstop by 2,770.6% during the first quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,952 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $440,000 after buying an additional 1,884 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 5.6% in the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 92,439 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $20,852,000 after buying an additional 4,937 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Wingstop by 121.4% in the first quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 217 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sivia Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 45.5% in the 2nd quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 1,387 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $467,000 after acquiring an additional 434 shares during the last quarter.
Wingstop Stock Down 1.7% Shares of NASDAQ WING opened at $134.87 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $3.67 billion, a PE ratio of 33.55, a PEG ratio of 1.64 and a beta of 1.79. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $152.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $190.57. Wingstop Inc. has a twelve month low of $116.35 and a twelve month high of $381.45.
Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.02 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $183.72 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $187.82 million. Wingstop had a negative return on equity of 16.22% and a net margin of 15.77%.Wingstop’s revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.99 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In WING has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Stephens set a $200.00 price target on Wingstop in a research note on Tuesday, July 21st. Weiss Ratings downgraded Wingstop from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 6th. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on Wingstop from $250.00 to $225.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 23rd. Guggenheim cut their target price on Wingstop from $255.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group downgraded Wingstop from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $290.00 to $190.00 in a report on Thursday, April 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $255.81.
Check Out Our Latest Research Report on WING
Wingstop Company Profile (Free Report)
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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Beyond analysts' top-and-bottom-line estimates for Wingstop (WING), evaluate projections for some of its key metrics to gain a better insight into how the business might have performed for the quarter ended June 2026.
Inflation remains uncomfortably elevated, and that's a drag on an array of consumer discretionary stocks, including Wingstop (WING +0.25%).
Ahead of its July 29 earnings report, shares of the fast-casual wing chain are off 43.5% year to date (as of July 23) and would need to more than triple to reclaim the record high. Analysts expect the Texas-based eatery to post earnings per share (EPS) of $1.02 on sales of $190.2 million. Given the stock's weak state, if those estimates are missed or the company offers guidance that's not to investors' satisfaction, more declines could be in store.
A lot has to go right for Wingstop to rebound. Image source: Getty Images.
This fast-food stock has no margin for error, and a lot needs to go right against a challenging consumer backdrop. That's not lost on Wall Street. On July 23, DA Davidson cut its price target on Wingstop to $200 from $230 while keeping a buy rating.
The new target implies upside of about 48% from the stock's close on that day, but there's some bad news. The research firm pared its second-quarter same-store sales forecast to a decline of 6% from a drop of 4%, citing stress on Wingstop's core lower-income and younger customer base.
For risk-tolerant investors, there may be something to see here. Looking ahead, Wingstop is expanding rapidly, adding new locations across the U.S. Additionally, the stock has some support on Wall Street. Piper Sandler says the stock's now lengthy decline has created a potentially favorable risk/reward scenario. At the same time, Guggenheim believes the shares can nearly double if the company returns to steady same-store sales growth.
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Investors willing to take a flier on earnings may want to evaluate Wingstop's commentary around its Smart Kitchens and its Club Wingstop loyalty program. Strength in those areas could contribute to a rebound down the road.
Todd Shriber has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Wingstop. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Fifth Third Bancorp increased its position in shares of Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING) by 422.5% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 8,725 shares of the restaurant operator's stock after buying an additional 7,055 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp's
Wingstop (WING +0.25%) will report its second-quarter results before the market opens on July 29. The stock has been cut almost in half so far this year, which has some investors wondering whether they should buy ahead of the report. I think that is the wrong way to frame the question. The better way to think about it is to ask how this quarter will fit Wingstop's long-term story.
The pressure point for the chain is same-store sales. After more than two decades of growth, Wingstop's comparable sales numbers have been shrinking. Domestic comps fell by a percentage in the high single digits last quarter. Management expects a low-single-digit decline for the full year. So the question investors will want the answer to is simple: Is the slide stabilizing?
Image source: Getty Images.
Also, watch what it's doing to fix the problem. Wingstop is pushing value deals under $10, rolling out its Smart Kitchen technology, and leaning on delivery and loyalty. Any signs that these steps are drawing more customer traffic back into its restaurants would matter.
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The thesis is bigger than one quarter All that said, I would not fixate on comps, and here's why. Wingstop's real engine for growth is new stores. The company still expects 15% to 16% global unit growth this year, and franchisees are opening locations quickly. Systemwide sales keep rising even as comps dip. Digital orders now make up more than 72% of sales, which gives the company data and efficiency that few rivals can match.
The unit economics are the draw. New Wingstop restaurants are cheap to build and generate strong returns. That's why franchisees keep signing up. A soft quarter or two will barely dent a runway that stretches toward thousands of new stores over the coming years. Long-term value comes from opening more high-return restaurants, not from any single quarter's comps figure.
The takeaway for investors So, should you buy Wingstop before July 29? Trying to trade on one earnings report is closer to gambling than investing, so I would not rush in just to beat the date. But the investment thesis for the company is intact. If you believe it can deliver years of rapid unit growth, deep digital penetration, and excellent store economics, then the stock, after a decline that has brought it down to less than a third of its 2024 peak price, looks like an opportunity.
Wingstop is far from alone here. Peers such as Chipotle Mexican Grill and Cava are running the same playbook, expanding aggressively while prizing unit economics over quarterly comps.
But if you buy Wingstop stock, do it because you want to own a fast-growing restaurant franchise for the next decade. Do not buy it because you are betting on Wednesday's headline. Let the long-term story decide, and treat the quarter as one data point along the way. If the comp slide is stabilizing, all the better. If not, patient investors who trust the company's expansion engine have little reason to panic over a single print.
Micah Zimmerman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Cava Group and Chipotle Mexican Grill. The Motley Fool recommends Wingstop and recommends the following options: short September 2026 $35 calls on Chipotle Mexican Grill. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Free wings with qualifying purchase, exclusive Club Wingstop rewards and live music experiences bring fans the ultimate week of flavor
, /PRNewswire/ -- Wingstop is turning up the flavor and elevating Wingstop Wing Day like never before. For the first time, the brand is expanding its takeover of National Wing Day (July 29) into Wingstop Wing Week, a five-day takeover from July 27–31, bringing fans even more ways to score free wings, unlock exclusive Club Wingstop rewards and, for eligible fans, enter for a chance to win live music prizes.
Wingstop is expanding Wing Day into Wing Week, a five-day celebration of rewards and experiences. Club Wingstop brings fans closer to the moments and experiences they love, and Wingstop Wing Week is giving everyone a taste of the exclusive access members can expect. Fans can enter for a chance to win once-in-a-lifetime music experiences and other prizes through Wingstop's broader $1 million giveaway, including trips to concerts and festivals with tickets, airfare, hotel accommodations and spending money. Fans can also score Ticketmaster® gift cards, Tickets for a Year and more, making this the ultimate week for flavor fanatics and music lovers alike.
Daily prize moments include:
Monday (7/27): $500 Ticketmaster gift card + $500 Wingstop gift card Tuesday (7/28): Concert package for two, including concert tickets, airfare, hotel and spending money Wednesday (7/29): Tickets for a Year ($3,000 Ticketmaster gift card) Thursday (7/30): Festival package for two, including VIP festival tickets, airfare, hotel and spending money Friday (7/31): $500 Ticketmaster gift card + $500 Wingstop gift card On Wingstop Wing Day (7/29), Wingstop is bringing back one of its biggest offers of the year: 5 FREE wings with any qualifying $10+ purchase using promo code FREEWINGS. It's also fans' last call to try Wingstop's limited-time Sweet Heat Chamoy flavor, and what greater way to experience the sweet-and-spicy favorite than with five FREE wings? Better yet, Club Wingstop members get extended access to the Wingstop Wing Day offer, with the ability to redeem one 5 FREE wings offer daily from 7/28–7/30 as part of Wingstop Wing Week.
Fans can unlock Wingstop Wing Week food offers and sign up for Club Wingstop to tap into insider perks and exclusive access through the Wingstop app or Wingstop.com.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Legal U.S./D.C.(excluding AK, HI, ME, MT, ND, RI, VT) residents, 18+. Void where prohibited. Begins 12:00 PM PT on 7/27/26 and ends 11:59 PM PT on 7/31/26. To enter or see Official Rules, visit ticketmaster.com/wingstop. Odds of winning depend upon the number of entries received. Sponsor is Wingstop Restaurants, Inc., 2801 N. Central Expressway, Suite 1600, Dallas, TX 75204. Administrator is Live Nation Worldwide, Inc., 9348 Civic Center Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. Ticketmaster is a registered trademark of Live Nation Worldwide, Inc.
About Wingstop
Founded in 1994 and headquartered in Dallas, TX, Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING) operates and franchises more than 3,000 restaurants worldwide, with approximately 98% of the total restaurant count owned by brand partners. Generating over $5 billion in system-wide sales in fiscal 2025, Wingstop offers made-to-order, always fresh classic and boneless wings, tenders and chicken sandwiches in 12 bold, distinctive flavors, alongside signature sides and iconic housemade ranch and bleu cheese dips. Dedicated to Serving the World Flavor, Wingstop is the Official Chicken Partner of the NBA with a vision to become a Top 10 Global Restaurant Brand. Learn more at wingstop.com or follow @Wingstop on X, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
Bank of New York Mellon Corp boosted its stake in Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING – Free Report) by 11.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 488,213 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock after purchasing an additional 49,300 shares during the period. Bank of New York Mellon Corp owned about 1.79% of Wingstop worth $75,658,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. grew its stake in Wingstop by 76.9% in the fourth quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. now owns 138 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the period. Rakuten Securities Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Wingstop by 197.9% during the fourth quarter. Rakuten Securities Inc. now owns 143 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Wingstop by 75.7% during the fourth quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC now owns 188 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $45,000 after acquiring an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its position in Wingstop by 121.4% in the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 217 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 119 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mcguire Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Wingstop during the 4th quarter valued at about $63,000.
Wingstop Price Performance Shares of NASDAQ WING opened at $134.95 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $150.95 and a 200-day moving average price of $194.79. The stock has a market cap of $3.67 billion, a PE ratio of 33.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 1.79. Wingstop Inc. has a 1 year low of $116.35 and a 1 year high of $381.45.
Wingstop (NASDAQ:WING – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The restaurant operator reported $1.18 earnings per share 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 company had revenue of $183.72 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $187.82 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. Wingstop’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Wingstop Inc. will post 4.57 EPS for the current year.
Wingstop Announces Dividend The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 5th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $0.30 per share. This represents a $1.20 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. Wingstop’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 29.85%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets WING has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Wingstop from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Raymond James Financial upgraded shares of Wingstop from an “outperform” rating to a “strong-buy” rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $325.00 to $240.00 in a research report on Thursday, April 2nd. Stephens set a $200.00 price target on shares of Wingstop in a research note on Tuesday. Guggenheim cut their price objective on shares of Wingstop from $255.00 to $215.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered Wingstop from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $290.00 to $190.00 in a research note on Thursday, April 30th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-three have issued a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $259.15.
Read Our Latest Research Report on WING
Wingstop Profile (Free Report)
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.
Read More Five stocks we like better than Wingstop Confidence Is Back, But Earnings Show the Consumer Is Being Picky AeroVironment’s Stock Is Down, But Drone Demand Is Taking Off 3M’s Redemption Arc: Can Q2 Earnings Change the Narrative? 3 Photonics Companies Making Quantum Tech Possible Want to see what other hedge funds are holding WING? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING – Free Report).
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Wingstop (WING - Free Report) closed the most recent trading day at $134.95, moving -4.36% from the previous trading session. The stock trailed the S&P 500, which registered a daily gain of 0.89%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a rise of 0.74%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw an increase of 1.29%.
Prior to today's trading, shares of the restaurant chain had lost 9.98% lagged the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 1.33% and the S&P 500's loss of 0.63%.
The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Wingstop in its upcoming release. The company is slated to reveal its earnings on July 29, 2026. On that day, Wingstop is projected to report earnings of $1.02 per share, which would represent year-over-year growth of 2%. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $190.17 million, up 9.09% from the year-ago period.
Regarding the entire year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates forecast earnings of $4.57 per share and revenue of $774.12 million, indicating changes of +12.01% and +11.09%, respectively, compared to the previous year.
Investors should also take note of any recent adjustments to analyst estimates for Wingstop. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As a result, upbeat changes in estimates indicate analysts' favorable outlook on the business health and profitability.
Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. To exploit this, we've formed the Zacks Rank, a quantitative model that includes these estimate changes and presents a viable rating system.
The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 0.46% lower. Wingstop is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.
Digging into valuation, Wingstop currently has a Forward P/E ratio of 30.85. This valuation marks a premium compared to its industry average Forward P/E of 20.47.
It is also worth noting that WING currently has a PEG ratio of 1.68. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. As the market closed yesterday, the Retail - Restaurants industry was having an average PEG ratio of 1.99.
The Retail - Restaurants industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 207, this industry ranks in the bottom 16% of all industries, numbering over 250.
The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the vigor of our specific industry groups by computing the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks incorporated in the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.
Looking for a stock that has been consistently beating earnings estimates and might be well positioned to keep the streak alive in its next quarterly report? Wingstop (WING - Free Report) , which belongs to the Zacks Retail - Restaurants industry, could be a great candidate to consider.
This restaurant chain has seen a nice streak of beating earnings estimates, especially when looking at the previous two reports. The average surprise for the last two quarters was 17.37%.
For the last reported quarter, Wingstop came out with earnings of $1.18 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $1.02 per share, representing a surprise of 15.69%. For the previous quarter, the company was expected to post earnings of $0.84 per share and it actually produced earnings of $1 per share, delivering a surprise of 19.05%.
Thanks in part to this history, there has been a favorable change in earnings estimates for Wingstop lately. In fact, the Zacks Earnings ESP (Expected Surprise Prediction) for the stock is positive, which is a great indicator of an earnings beat, particularly when combined with its solid Zacks Rank.
Our research shows that stocks with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) or better produce a positive surprise nearly 70% of the time. In other words, if you have 10 stocks with this combination, the number of stocks that beat the consensus estimate could be as high as seven.
The Zacks Earnings ESP compares the Most Accurate Estimate to the Zacks Consensus Estimate for the quarter; the Most Accurate Estimate is a version of the Zacks Consensus whose definition is related to change. The idea here is that analysts revising their estimates right before an earnings release have the latest information, which could potentially be more accurate than what they and others contributing to the consensus had predicted earlier.
Wingstop currently has an Earnings ESP of +3.24%, which suggests that analysts have recently become bullish on the company's earnings prospects. This positive Earnings ESP when combined with the stock's Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) indicates that another beat is possibly around the corner. We expect the company's next earnings report to be released on July 29, 2026.
With the Earnings ESP metric, it's important to note that a negative value reduces its predictive power; however, a negative Earnings ESP does not indicate an earnings miss.
Many companies end up beating the consensus EPS estimate, though this is not the only reason why their shares gain. Additionally, some stocks may remain stable even if they end up missing the consensus estimate.
Because of this, it's really important to check a company's Earnings ESP ahead of its quarterly release to increase the odds of success. Make sure to utilize our Earnings ESP Filter to uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they've reported.
In the latest trading session, Wingstop (WING - Free Report) closed at $140.93, marking a -3.27% move from the previous day. The stock trailed the S&P 500, which registered a daily loss of 0.51%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 0.2%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 1.47%.
Coming into today, shares of the restaurant chain had lost 2.9% in the past month. In that same time, the Retail-Wholesale sector gained 0.51%, while the S&P 500 gained 0.53%.
Market participants will be closely following the financial results of Wingstop in its upcoming release. The company plans to announce its earnings on July 29, 2026. In that report, analysts expect Wingstop to post earnings of $1.02 per share. This would mark year-over-year growth of 2%. Simultaneously, our latest consensus estimate expects the revenue to be $190.27 million, showing a 9.14% escalation compared to the year-ago quarter.
For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates project earnings of $4.57 per share and a revenue of $774.9 million, demonstrating changes of +12.01% and +11.2%, respectively, from the preceding year.
It's also important for investors to be aware of any recent modifications to analyst estimates for Wingstop. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the business and profitability.
Our research reveals that these estimate alterations are directly linked with the stock price performance in the near future. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, which varies between #1 (Strong Buy) and #5 (Strong Sell), carries an impressive track record of exceeding expectations, confirmed by external audits, with stocks at #1 delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, there's been a 0.6% fall in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. Currently, Wingstop is carrying a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Looking at its valuation, Wingstop is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 31.91. This indicates a premium in contrast to its industry's Forward P/E of 20.14.
We can additionally observe that WING currently boasts a PEG ratio of 1.75. Comparable to the widely accepted P/E ratio, the PEG ratio also accounts for the company's projected earnings growth. The average PEG ratio for the Retail - Restaurants industry stood at 1.95 at the close of the market yesterday.
The Retail - Restaurants industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. With its current Zacks Industry Rank of 182, this industry ranks in the bottom 27% of all industries, numbering over 250.
The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the strength of our separate industry groups by calculating the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks contained within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Be sure to use Zacks.com to monitor all these stock-influencing metrics, and more, throughout the forthcoming trading sessions.
In the latest close session, Wingstop (WING - Free Report) was down 2.81% at $153.29. This change lagged the S&P 500's 0.42% gain on the day. On the other hand, the Dow registered a gain of 0.29%, and the technology-centric Nasdaq increased by 0.29%.
Coming into today, shares of the restaurant chain had gained 2.5% in the past month. In that same time, the Retail-Wholesale sector gained 0.24%, while the S&P 500 gained 2.2%.
The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Wingstop in its upcoming release. The company is slated to reveal its earnings on July 29, 2026. It is anticipated that the company will report an EPS of $1.02, marking a 2% rise compared to the same quarter of the previous year. At the same time, our most recent consensus estimate is projecting a revenue of $190.27 million, reflecting a 9.14% rise from the equivalent quarter last year.
In terms of the entire fiscal year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates predict earnings of $4.57 per share and a revenue of $776.14 million, indicating changes of +12.01% and +11.38%, respectively, from the former year.
Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Wingstop. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. Hence, positive alterations in estimates signify analyst optimism regarding the business and profitability.
Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-term stock moves. To take advantage of this, we've established the Zacks Rank, an exclusive model that considers these estimated changes and delivers an operational rating system.
The Zacks Rank system, spanning from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), boasts an impressive track record of outperformance, audited externally, with #1 ranked stocks yielding an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, there's been a 0.49% fall in the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate. Currently, Wingstop is carrying a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold).
Looking at valuation, Wingstop is presently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 34.52. This denotes a premium relative to the industry average Forward P/E of 19.93.
It's also important to note that WING currently trades at a PEG ratio of 1.89. This popular metric is similar to the widely-known P/E ratio, with the difference being that the PEG ratio also takes into account the company's expected earnings growth rate. As the market closed yesterday, the Retail - Restaurants industry was having an average PEG ratio of 1.94.
The Retail - Restaurants industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. This industry, currently bearing a Zacks Industry Rank of 181, finds itself in the bottom 27% echelons of all 250+ industries.
The strength of our individual industry groups is measured by the Zacks Industry Rank, which is calculated based on the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks within these groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Be sure to follow all of these stock-moving metrics, and many more, on Zacks.com.
Wingstop (WING - Free Report) closed at $158.47 in the latest trading session, marking a -6.9% move from the prior day. The stock trailed the S&P 500, which registered a daily loss of 0.28%. Meanwhile, the Dow experienced a drop of 1.09%, and the technology-dominated Nasdaq saw an increase of 0.2%.
Coming into today, shares of the restaurant chain had gained 18.32% in the past month. In that same time, the Retail-Wholesale sector gained 0.18%, while the S&P 500 gained 1.64%.
The investment community will be paying close attention to the earnings performance of Wingstop in its upcoming release. The company is slated to reveal its earnings on July 29, 2026. The company's upcoming EPS is projected at $1.02, signifying a 2.00% increase compared to the same quarter of the previous year. Simultaneously, our latest consensus estimate expects the revenue to be $190.27 million, showing a 9.14% escalation compared to the year-ago quarter.
For the full year, the Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $4.57 per share and revenue of $776.14 million, which would represent changes of +12.01% and +11.38%, respectively, from the prior year.
Investors should also note any recent changes to analyst estimates for Wingstop. These recent revisions tend to reflect the evolving nature of short-term business trends. With this in mind, we can consider positive estimate revisions a sign of optimism about the business outlook.
Research indicates that these estimate revisions are directly correlated with near-term share price momentum. We developed the Zacks Rank to capitalize on this phenomenon. Our system takes these estimate changes into account and delivers a clear, actionable rating model.
The Zacks Rank system, stretching from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has a noteworthy track record of outperforming, validated by third-party audits, with stocks rated #1 producing an average annual return of +25% since the year 1988. Within the past 30 days, our consensus EPS projection has moved 0.49% lower. Wingstop is holding a Zacks Rank of #3 (Hold) right now.
Looking at valuation, Wingstop is presently trading at a Forward P/E ratio of 37.25. This denotes a premium relative to the industry average Forward P/E of 20.29.
We can additionally observe that WING currently boasts a PEG ratio of 2.04. The PEG ratio is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but this metric also takes the company's expected earnings growth rate into account. As the market closed yesterday, the Retail - Restaurants industry was having an average PEG ratio of 1.95.
The Retail - Restaurants industry is part of the Retail-Wholesale sector. At present, this industry carries a Zacks Industry Rank of 202, placing it within the bottom 18% of over 250 industries.
The Zacks Industry Rank assesses the strength of our separate industry groups by calculating the average Zacks Rank of the individual stocks contained within the groups. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.
Be sure to use Zacks.com to monitor all these stock-influencing metrics, and more, throughout the forthcoming trading sessions.
