Wingstop Inc. (WING) AI Stock Analysis

Wingstop Inc. is a franchisor and operator of restaurants under the Wingstop brand, specializing in cooked-to-order classic wings, boneless wings, and tenders hand-sauced-and-tossed in a variety of flavors. Founded in 1994 and based in Addison, Texas, the company operates in the quick-service restaurant industry. As of December 25, 2021, its footprint included 1,695 franchised restaurants and 36 company-owned restaurants across 44 U.S. states and 7 countries globally. Wingstop relies on a franchise model to expand its presence while maintaining operational consistency, introducing new flavors and limited-time offerings to satisfy consumer demand.

Wingstop expanded revenue from $282.5M in FY2021 to $696.9M in FY2025, reflecting a 5-year revenue CAGR of 22.9%. Revenue grew 11.4% in FY2025, down from 36.0% in FY2024. Gross margin rose to 82.6% in FY2025 from 48.1% in FY2024, and operating margin improved to 27.6%. Net income reached $174.3M in FY2025, up from $42.7M in FY2021, while diluted EPS was $4.12. In the trailing twelve months ended June 30, 2026, revenue stood at $720.7M with an operating margin of 29.8% and EPS of $4.22. In the quarter ended June 30, 2026, quarterly revenue grew 6.4% year-over-year, and quarterly earnings grew 19.8%.

As of June 30, 2026, Wingstop held $127.5M in cash and short-term investments against $1.27B in total debt, creating net debt of $1.15B. Shareholders' equity was -$773.0M, reflecting negative equity, against total assets of $658.0M. The company's current ratio was 2.97. In FY2025, operating cash flow was $153.1M, supporting capital expenditures of $47.4M and generating $105.6M in free cash flow. Wingstop allocated $221.9M to share buybacks and $32.4M to dividends in FY2025, contributing to a 9.1% reduction in share count over 5 years.

At $131.72 per share, Wingstop has a market cap of $3.59B and an enterprise value of $3.81B. WING trades at a trailing P/E of 31.2x and a forward P/E of 18.2x, compared to the median of its US-listed Consumer Cyclical peers of 18.0x and 14.1x, respectively. Its price-to-sales multiple is 5.0x versus the peer median of 0.7x, and its EV/EBITDA is 16.8x compared to the peer median of 11.1x. Over the past year, WING fell 46.1%, while the S&P 500 (SPY) returned 16.8%.

Wingstop pays a quarterly dividend with a forward annual payout of $1.32, equating to a dividend yield of 1.00% as of October 16, 2026. The payout ratio stands at 27.6%, and the company has paid dividends for 11 consecutive years. Its 5-year annualized dividend growth is -26.6%, and the most recent ex-dividend date was August 14, 2026.

Wall Street coverage includes 19 Strong Buy, 3 Buy, and 6 Hold ratings, with zero Sell or Strong Sell ratings. The mean price target is $192.69, which is 46.3% above the October 16, 2026 closing price of $131.72. For the fiscal year ending December 31, 2026, consensus estimates project revenue of $763.4M and EPS of $4.42, representing 8.4% EPS growth. Wingstop has beaten EPS estimates in each of the last 4 quarters, and its next earnings date is October 28, 2026.

This page is an AI-written research summary of Wingstop Inc. (WING). The text was generated on October 30, 2026 from Quotelinks data as of October 16, 2026 (company profile, annual results, latest balance sheet, valuation, price performance and analyst estimates). An automatic check rejects any draft that contains a figure not found in that data. It is not investment advice; verify figures on the linked tabs before making decisions.

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