Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) is among the 20 Best Investments in 2026. RBC Flags Weak Q1 2026 Trends as Price Target for Wingstop Inc. (WING) Drops Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ:WING) is one of the best investments on our list. TheFly reported on February 19 that  RBC Capital lowered its price target for WING to $340 from $350 and gave it an Outperform rating. Although the company's fourth-quarter results had fallen short of the lower-than-expected forecasts, the firm also hinted that the first quarter of 2026 t ...

Core Insights - Planet Fitness, Inc. is a prominent fitness center operator in the U.S., known for its affordable gym memberships and "Judgement Free Zone" philosophy, which fosters an inclusive environment for all fitness levels [1] Financial Performance - Planet Fitness has a Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) of 10.12% and a Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) of 9.02%, resulting in a ROIC to WACC ratio of 1.12, indicating effective capital utilization [2][6] - Compared to peers, Planet Fitness's capital efficiency is moderate, with Wingstop Inc. achieving a ROIC of 21.54% and a WACC of 10.60%, leading to a higher ROIC to WACC ratio of 2.03 [3] - Match Group, Inc. has the highest ROIC to WACC ratio of 2.42, with a ROIC of 18.50% and a WACC of 7.66%, indicating superior efficiency in generating returns relative to its cost of capital [4] - Other competitors like Five Below, Inc. and Live Nation Entertainment, Inc. have lower ROIC to WACC ratios of 0.90 and 0.99, respectively, while Dave & Buster's Entertainment, Inc. shows a negative ratio of -0.04, indicating inefficiency [5]

Wingstop branded takeout bag and sauced wings inside restaurant, highlighting earnings rebound in fast-casual dining. Key Points Wingstop is on track to accelerate growth in 2026 and sustain a robust capital return. High debt is offset by cash flow, coverage, and growth. Analysts are raising targets, leading this market toward record highs.  Interested in Wingstop Inc.? Here are five stocks we like better. Wingstop (NASDAQ: WING) investors’ prayers were answered with the Q4 2025 earnings release an ...

Time now for Options Corner. Joining us to take a deeper look at the chart is Rick Dukat, lead market technician. All right, Rick, what trends do you notice in the chart for Domino's.>> Yes, certainly uh not the greatest uh period here for this uh fast casual type of uh uh restaurant here. I guess not fast casual, fast food more like would be more accurate here, but trending lower here, down uh 18.4%. Uh when we look at the restaurant space in general, kind of these these more casual uh areas here, a bit of ...

Market Overview - The S&P 500 experienced a modest increase of 0.6%, recovering from earlier losses, indicating a slight reinvigoration in the market [70][72] - Major indices showed green across the board, suggesting a broad-based rally despite low trading volume [70][72] Economic Indicators - U.S. industrial production and business equipment orders data were released, providing a positive outlook ahead of the upcoming GDP report, which indicated a respectable growth of 2.7% for the previous year [4][3] - Concerns over inflation have resurfaced, with the Federal Reserve's recent minutes suggesting that the inflation fight is ongoing, and the Fed is recalibrating its policy towards a neutral stance [6][7] Technology Sector Insights - Big tech stocks have faced skepticism from investors, particularly regarding their valuations after a significant selloff in software stocks [2][3] - Apple has been noted for its relatively low capital expenditures compared to its peers, positioning it well amidst the current AI-driven market dynamics [60][61] Investment Strategies - Wellington Management is expanding its private markets team, focusing on investments in companies before they go public, particularly in biotech and climate technology [38][41] - The firm has been building capabilities in private assets for retail investors, indicating a strategic shift towards private market investments [39][42] AI and Semiconductor Market - The AI sector is experiencing a correction, with discussions around the need for discipline in evaluating the value of different players in the market [73][75] - Taiwan's semiconductor industry is highlighted as a critical player, with significant growth in exports and a strong competitive advantage in advanced manufacturing [78][80]

Attributed the first same-store sales decline in 22 years to persistent macro pressures on lower-income core consumers, despite 12% system-wide sales growth. Completed the national rollout of Wingstop Smart Kitchen across all domestic restaurants in under 10 months, shifting focus from installation to operational execution. Identified a significant 'demand space' gap, currently capturing only 2% of a potential 20% share of off-premise occasions involving high-quality, made-to-order meals. Leveraged ...

Core Insights - Wingstop reported fourth-quarter system-wide sales of $1.3 billion, a 9.3% increase compared to 2024, primarily due to the addition of 124 net new restaurants, although domestic same-store sales declined by 5.8% due to macroeconomic pressures [1][3] - The company ended 2025 with over 3,000 restaurants and system-wide sales exceeding $5 billion, despite a 3% decline in same-store sales [2][6] - Management emphasized the potential for scaling its franchised model and the successful rollout of the Smart Kitchen platform, which aims to enhance operational efficiency [3][8] Financial Performance - Adjusted EBITDA rose approximately 10% in Q4 to $61.9 million, while adjusted earnings per diluted share increased by 5% to $1.00, despite a $0.18 impact from higher interest expenses related to a $500 million securitization [6][7] - The company returned over $250 million to shareholders in 2025 through dividends and share repurchases, with a quarterly dividend of $0.30 per share declared for March 2026 [4][18] Growth and Expansion - Wingstop plans to launch a national loyalty program, "Club Wingstop," in Q2 2026, following a successful pilot that saw a 7% increase in frequency among enrolled guests [4][16] - The company aims for global unit growth of 15-16% in 2026, with guidance for domestic same-store sales to be flat to low single-digit growth [4][19] Operational Improvements - The Smart Kitchen rollout is complete, with management reporting that about 50% of restaurants are achieving 10-minute service times, and delivery times have improved by approximately 15% year-over-year [5][11] - The company is focusing on execution in 2026, implementing new operating standards and accountability measures to enhance performance [9][10] Marketing and Customer Engagement - Wingstop's new brand campaign, "Wingstop Is Here," aims to increase brand awareness and has shown early success with record high brand recall [13] - The digital customer base grew by 20% in 2025, with significant growth noted among higher-income households [14]

For the full year, domestic SSS declined 3.3%, and average unit volumes fell from $2,138,000 to $2,000,000. This deterioration raises questions about franchisee unit economics, though management's guidance for flat to low-single digit domestic SSS growth in fiscal 2026 suggests expectations for stabilization.The most striking development was the 5.8% decline in domestic same-store sales, a sharp reversal from the 10.1% growth posted in Q4 2024. This 15.9 percentage point swing signals weakening consumer tra ...

This story was originally published on Restaurant Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Restaurant Dive newsletter. Dive Brief: Wingstop saw a 5.8% decline in domestic same-store sales in Q4 2025, according to its earnings release. The chain’s average unit volume fell from $138,000 year over year, dropping to $2 million in the quarter. Despite this sales softness, the fast casual chain saw more than a 9% increase in systemwide sales in the quarter, thanks to 493 net resta ...

Upgrades - Raymond James upgraded Take-Two (TTWO) to Strong Buy from Outperform with an unchanged price target of $285, viewing the recent selloff as overdone and presenting a more attractive risk/reward scenario for the company [2] - Daiwa upgraded Palantir (PLTR) to Buy from Neutral with a price target of $180, down from $200, citing a positive impression from the earnings release [2] - Gordon Haskett upgraded Booking Holdings (BKNG) to Buy from Hold with a price target of $5,440, believing that investors have overreacted to AI-driven competitive concerns and have discounted Booking's operational advantages [3] - Oppenheimer upgraded Unity (U) to Outperform from Perform with a price target of $38, arguing that fears regarding competition from "world models" like Google's Project Genie are misplaced and overlook Unity's unique role in development [4] - Arete upgraded Snap (SNAP) to Buy from Neutral with a price target of $7.30, noting a shift in the company's sales growth from a "sub-scale" advertising business to higher margin, recurring subscription income [5] Downgrades - HSBC downgraded Estee Lauder (EL) to Hold from Buy with a price target of $106, stating that Estee's "modest" organic sales upgrade in the quarter underwhelmed investors relative to expectations [6] - Citi downgraded Under Armour (UAA) to Sell from Neutral with an unchanged price target of $6.20, indicating that the company's turnaround in North America is facing "several pressures" in fiscal 2026 [6] - Raymond James downgraded Wingstop (WING) to Outperform from Strong Buy with an unchanged price target of $325, expressing caution regarding Wingstop's near-term sales trends [6] - Truist downgraded Texas Roadhouse (TXRH) to Hold from Buy with a price target of $188, down from $206, believing that beef price inflation will persist at least through 2027, limiting multiple expansion and pressuring margins and earnings estimates [6] - Loop Capital downgraded Monday.com (MNDY) to Hold from Buy with a price target of $80, down from $195, citing a "fine, but not great" quarter amid moderating upmarket momentum and slower adoption of newer products [6] - Baird also downgraded Monday.com to Neutral from Outperform with a price target of $90, down from $175 [6]