Wingstop Declares $0.30 Quarterly Dividend, Payable March 27
Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING), a fast-casual chicken wing restaurant chain, declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.30 per share on February 17, 2026. The dividend totals approximately $8.3 million and will be paid to stockholders of record as of March 6, 2026.
Wingstop Inc. (NASDAQ: WING), a fast-casual chicken wing restaurant chain, declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.30 per share on February 17, 2026. The dividend totals approximately $8.3 million and will be paid to stockholders of record as of March 6, 2026. Read more dividend announcements.
The board of directors approved the dividend in recognition of the company's strong cash flow generation and commitment to returning value to stockholders. Payment will be made on March 27, 2026.
| Dividend Details | Date |
|---|---|
| Amount Per Share | $0.30 |
| Total Dividend | $8.3 million |
| Record Date | March 6, 2026 |
| Payment Date | March 27, 2026 |
The declaration of any future dividends remains subject to the board's discretion.
Business Performance
The dividend announcement came alongside the company's fourth quarter and fiscal year 2025 financial results. Wingstop achieved a record 493 net new restaurant openings in 2025, representing 19.2% unit growth.
System-wide sales grew 12.1% for fiscal year 2025. As of December 27, 2025, the restaurant chain operated 3,056 locations globally, including 2,586 domestic restaurants and 470 international franchised locations.
During the fourth quarter of 2025, the company opened 124 net new restaurants system-wide and expanded into six new international markets. The company implemented its Wingstop Smart Kitchen technology across all 2,586 domestic restaurant locations.
Capital Allocation Activity
During the fourth quarter of 2025, Wingstop repurchased and retired 248,278 shares of common stock at an average price of $241.65 per share. As of December 27, 2025, $91.3 million remained available under the company's share repurchase program.
Since initiating its share repurchase program in August 2023, the company has repurchased and retired 2,585,149 shares at an average price of $258.64 per share.
Interest expense increased to a range of $9.2 million from $6.4 million in the prior fourth quarter, primarily driven by a securitized financing transaction completed in December 2024 that increased outstanding debt by $500 million to support the company's capital return strategy.
2026 Outlook
For fiscal year 2026, Wingstop projects flat to low-single digit domestic same store sales growth and global unit growth of 15% to 16%. The company expects selling, general and administrative expenses between $151 million and $154 million, including $3 million of restructuring charges related to corporate realignment.
Net interest expense is projected at approximately $43 million, with depreciation and amortization of approximately $30 million. Stock-based compensation expense is expected to reach approximately $32 million.