Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - In Q4 2025, system-wide sales increased to $1.3 billion, approximately 9.3% compared to 2024, driven primarily by 124 net new restaurants, despite a decline of 5.8% in domestic same-store sales due to macro pressures on core consumers [28][29] - Adjusted EBITDA in Q4 increased approximately 10% versus 2024 to $61.9 million, highlighting the durability of the company's model [32] - The company-owned same-store sales increased by 1.6% in Q4, showcasing the effectiveness of new operational standards [30] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company opened 493 restaurants globally in 2025, a significant achievement against the long-term goal of 10,000 restaurants [20] - Royalty revenue, franchise fees, and other revenue increased by 8% year-over-year to a total of $81.9 million, reflecting the acceleration in unit growth [29] - Company cost of sales in Q4 were 75.6%, an improvement of 200 basis points compared to 2024, benefiting from lower wing costs [31] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company expanded into six new international markets and opened over 100 restaurants outside the U.S. in 2025, marking a significant milestone for the brand [22] - The company anticipates global unit growth to be between 15% and 16% in 2026, driven by broad-based demand across brand partners [36] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to scale to over 10,000 restaurants globally, with a focus on unit economics and brand partner profitability [5][7] - The rollout of the Wingstop Smart Kitchen is central to the strategy, enhancing operational efficiency and customer experience [9][10] - The company is launching a loyalty program, Club Wingstop, to deepen engagement and enhance customer retention [18][19] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management acknowledges the current operating environment remains challenging, but expresses confidence in the strategies in place to return to same-store sales growth [35] - The company expects to see sequential improvement throughout 2026 as operational strategies are executed [43] - Management highlighted the importance of maintaining a focus on execution and delivering consistent service standards [55] Other Important Information - The company returned over $250 million of capital to shareholders in 2025 through dividends and share repurchases [33] - The board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, totaling approximately $8.3 million [34] - The company has implemented a new leadership structure to enhance operational consistency and accountability [26] Q&A Session Summary Question: Signs of improvement in same-store sales - Management noted that trends have stabilized and they anticipate sequential improvement as strategies come together, despite some impact from winter storms [42] Question: Percentage of restaurants achieving 10-minute ticket time - Approximately 50% of restaurants are currently hitting the 10-minute service time, with ongoing initiatives to improve this metric [48] Question: Long-term guidance for same-store sales - Management remains focused on execution and believes that the combination of operational improvements and the loyalty program will drive growth [55] Question: Impact of Smart Kitchen on staff productivity - The new kitchen operating platform has led to lower turnover rates and improved staff engagement, indicating a positive impact on labor productivity [61] Question: Performance of the new advertising campaign - The "Wingstop Is Here" campaign is delivering record brand recall and has contributed to a 20% growth in the digital customer database [64]

Wingstop (NasdaqGS:WING) Q4 2025 Earnings call February 18, 2026 10:00 AM ET Company ParticipantsAlex Kaleida - SVP and CFOAndy Barish - Managing DirectorChris O'Cull - Managing DirectorChristine Cho - VP of Equity ResearchGregory Francfort - Managing DirectorJon Tower - Director of Equity ResearchMichael Skipworth - President and CEOPeter Saleh - Managing DirectorSarah Niehaus - Senior Director of Investor RelationsConference Call ParticipantsBrian Harbour - Equity AnalystDanilo Gargiulo - Senior Research ...

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - In Q4 2025, system-wide sales increased to $1.3 billion, approximately 9.3% compared to 2024, driven by 124 net new restaurants, despite a decline of 5.8% in domestic same-store sales [26][27] - Adjusted EBITDA in Q4 increased approximately 10% versus 2024 to $61.9 million, highlighting the durability of the company's model [30] - The company-owned same-store sales increased by 1.6% in Q4, showcasing the effectiveness of new operational standards [27] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company opened 493 restaurants globally in 2025, a significant achievement against the long-term goal of 10,000 restaurants [18] - Royalty revenue, franchise fees, and other revenue increased by 8% year-over-year to a total of $81.9 million [26] - Company cost of sales in Q4 were 75.6%, an improvement of 200 basis points compared to 2024, indicating strong unit-level economics [28] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company expanded into six new international markets in 2025, opening over 100 restaurants outside the U.S. [19] - The average unit volume (AUV) for domestic restaurants is at $2 million, with a target of reaching $3 million AUVs [5][31] - The company anticipates global unit growth to be between 15% and 16% in 2026, driven by broad-based demand across brand partners [34] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company aims to leverage the Wingstop Smart Kitchen to enhance operational efficiency and customer experience, with a focus on achieving a consistent 10-minute speed of service [6][9] - The launch of the loyalty program, Club Wingstop, is expected to deepen customer engagement and increase visit frequency [16][17] - The company is focused on expanding brand awareness and capturing a larger share of the off-premise dining market, currently estimated at only 2% [7][14] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management acknowledges the macroeconomic pressures affecting core consumers but remains optimistic about returning to same-store sales growth in 2026 [33][36] - The company is confident in its strategies, including the rollout of the Smart Kitchen and the national launch of the loyalty program, to drive future growth [36][34] - Management highlighted the importance of operational consistency and accountability as critical components for success in the upcoming year [24][22] Other Important Information - The company returned over $250 million to shareholders in 2025 through dividends and share repurchases [31][32] - The board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share, totaling approximately $8.3 million [32] - The company has a digital database of over 60 million users, providing a strong foundation for the loyalty program [17] Q&A Session Summary Question: Signs of improvement in comps for Q1 - Management noted that trends have stabilized and they anticipate sequential improvement as strategies come together, despite some impact from winter storms [39][40] Question: Percentage of system achieving 10-minute ticket time - Approximately 50% of restaurants are currently achieving the 10-minute service time, with ongoing initiatives to improve this metric [44][46] Question: Long-term guidance and potential adjustments - Management remains focused on execution and believes that the combination of operational improvements and the loyalty program will drive growth, maintaining their long-term guidance [50][51] Question: Impact of Smart Kitchen on staff and labor productivity - The Smart Kitchen has led to lower turnover rates in corporate restaurants, indicating a positive impact on staff experience and productivity [56][58] Question: Performance of the new advertising campaign - The "Wingstop Is Here" campaign is delivering record brand recall and has contributed to a 20% growth in the digital customer database [60][63]

Group 1 - The software trade, particularly in cybersecurity, is experiencing pressure, exemplified by Palo Alto Networks (PANW) shares falling by up to 6% after the company revised its full-year earnings outlook downward [1] - As of February 13, 74% of S&P 500 companies have reported their results, with blended earnings growth at 13.2%, indicating a strong performance overall [1] - If the current growth rate of 13.2% is maintained, it would mark the 10th consecutive quarter of annual earnings growth for the S&P 500 and the fifth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth [2] Group 2 - General Mills (GIS) shares declined following disappointing earnings, while eToro (ETOR) saw a stock increase of over 20% due to a strong quarterly performance [2] - Upcoming earnings reports from major companies such as Walmart (WMT), Deere & Co. (DE), Analog Devices (ADI), Booking Holdings (BKNG), DoorDash (DASH), and eBay (EBAY) will be closely monitored by investors [3]

About this content About Emily Jarvie Emily began her career as a political journalist for Australian Community Media in Hobart, Tasmania. After she relocated to Toronto, Canada, she reported on business, legal, and scientific developments in the emerging psychedelics sector before joining Proactive in 2022. She brings a strong journalism background with her work featured in newspapers, magazines, and digital publications across Australia, Europe, and North America, including The Examiner, The Advocate, ...

Core Insights - Wingstop (WING) reported quarterly earnings of $1 per share, exceeding the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $0.84 per share, and showing an increase from $0.88 per share a year ago, resulting in an earnings surprise of +18.85% [1] - The company posted revenues of $175.69 million for the quarter ended December 2025, which was slightly below the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 0.37%, but an increase from $161.82 million year-over-year [2] - Wingstop has surpassed consensus EPS estimates in all four of the last quarters, but has only topped revenue estimates once in the same period [2] Earnings Outlook - The immediate price movement of Wingstop's stock will largely depend on management's commentary during the earnings call and future earnings expectations [3] - Current consensus EPS estimate for the upcoming quarter is $1.09 on revenues of $192.32 million, and for the current fiscal year, it is $4.71 on revenues of $809.64 million [7] Industry Context - The Retail - Restaurants industry, to which Wingstop belongs, is currently ranked in the bottom 29% of over 250 Zacks industries, indicating potential challenges for stock performance [8] - Empirical research suggests a strong correlation between near-term stock movements and trends in earnings estimate revisions, which could impact Wingstop's stock performance [5]

Wingstop reported lower fourth-quarter comparable sales after previously saying that weakness from Hispanic and low-income consumers was weighing on its business. https://t.co/ENaUJEhH9P ...

Wingstop reported lower fourth-quarter comparable sales after previously saying that weakness from Hispanic and low-income consumers was weighing on its business. ...

Wingstop shares jumped in premarket trading after the company reported domestic same-store sales that contracted less than what was predicted, and better-than-expected earnings, easing fears of a marked slowdown at the chicken chain https://t.co/JqbyNvPpq8 ...

Dallas, February 18, 2026 - (PRNewswire) - Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING) today announced financial results for the fourth quarter and fiscal year ended December 27, 2025. "Our team continues to demonstrate operational excellence as we opened 493 net new restaurants and expanded into six new international markets," said Michael Skipworth, President & Chief Executive Officer. "I am proud of our efforts as we implemented the Wingstop Smart Kitchen in all of our 2,586 domestic restaurants in just 10 months. In a ...