Wingstop Inc
Q4 2025 Earnings
Market Reaction
S&P 500 over the same 30 days: −5.50%.
Did WING Beat Earnings? Q4 2025 Results
Wingstop delivered a mixed but ultimately encouraging Q4 2025, posting earnings per share of $1.00 against a consensus estimate of $0.84, a 19.13% beat, even as revenue of $175.69 million came in just 0.90% short of the $177.29 million analysts had expected, still representing 8.6% growth year over year. The profit strength reflected meaningful margin improvement, with cost of sales as a percentage of company-owned restaurant sales falling to 75.6% from 77.6%, aided by lower bone-in chicken wing costs. The headline drag, however, was a 5.8% decline in domestic same-store sales, a reversal that has <a href="https://247wallst.com/investing/2026/02/18/wall-street-is-losing-its-mind-over-wingstop-right-now/">kept investors on edge</a> heading into 2026. Unit growth remained a bright spot, with 124 net new openings in the quarter alone and a record 493 for the full fiscal year, bringing the system to 3,056 restaurants globally. Looking ahead, Wingstop guided for flat to low-single digit domestic same-store sales growth and 15% to 16% global unit expansion in fiscal 2026, signaling confidence in its long-term trajectory despite near-term demand softness.
- Record 493 net new restaurant openings driving 19.2% unit growth
- System-wide sales growth of 9.3% in Q4 and 12.1% for fiscal year 2025
- Digital sales at 73.2% of system-wide sales
- Company-owned restaurant same-store sales growth of 1.6% driven by transaction increases
- Lower bone-in chicken wing costs improving cost of sales margins
- National advertising fund contribution rate increase to 5.5% from 5.3%
“Our team continues to demonstrate operational excellence as we opened 493 net new restaurants and expanded into six new international markets.”
Wingstop CEO, on the earnings call
Forward Guidance & Outlook
For fiscal year 2026, Wingstop guided for flat to low-single digit domestic same-store sales growth, global unit growth of 15% to 16%, SG&A of $151-$154 million (including $3 million in restructuring charges), stock-based compensation expense of approximately $32 million, interest expense net of approximately $43 million, and depreciation and amortization of approximately $30 million.
WING YoY Financials
WING Revenue by Segment
Figures from SEC filings and company reports. Not investment advice.