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Monday’s Exclusive News

Investors Have WING. Do They Need a Prayer?

Written by Thomas Hughes. Posted: 2/20/2026. 

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. 
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Wingstop (NASDAQ: WING) investors’ prayers were answered with the Q4 2025 earnings release and the company’s 2026 guidance. Not only were Q4 comps better than expected, but margin strength stood out, and the guidance affirmed an outlook for acceleration.

As presented, the company forecasts low-single-digit domestic comps and 15% global store-count growth. When combined with last year’s 20% increase in store count, that suggests the consensus forecast could be too low.

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The likely outcome is that the price rebound the news catalyzed is only the beginning of a larger move that could take the stock back to record levels, as an outperformance/bullish-revision cycle appears to be underway. The analyst activity leading up to the release was broadly bullish, including upgrades and price-target revisions as recently as the day before the release. Analyst coverage increased even while share prices declined.

The consensus Moderate Buy rating is strengthening, and price targets are narrowing around the consensus, which implies more than 20% upside from the critical support level. A move to the consensus would be significant: it would be a six-month high and put the market on track to retest all-time highs later in the year. 

Wingstop Leans Into Store-Count Growth

Wingstop struggled with weak domestic comps in Q4 and across 2025, but it offset that weakness with store-count growth. Results showed an 8.6% year-over-year (YOY) revenue gain on a systemwide 9.3% sales increase, despite a 5.8% decline in domestic comps.

Store count rose by 124 in the quarter — up 20% on a full-year basis — and is expected to remain robust in the coming year, improving operational leverage as consumer habits shift. Digital sales are another bright spot, up nearly 75%, underscoring the effectiveness of the Smart Kitchen concept. Wingstop’s Smart Kitchen is an AI-powered tool that organizes and prioritizes off-premise orders, reducing ticket times by as much as 50%.

Margin performance was a key catalyst for recent stock price action. Investors had expected margin pressures but were relieved by the results. Adjusted net income was relatively flat versus last year, while adjusted EBITDA widened by approximately 950 basis points — both well above forecasts. More importantly, the bottom-line adjusted EPS of $1 substantially exceeded expectations, and guidance for the current year is solid. 

Aggressive Capital Return Underpins Wingstop’s Stock Outlook

Wingstop uses debt to fund its growth strategy and is considered moderately to highly leveraged. However, margin strength and cash flow enable coverage for both growth and capital returns, which are aggressively supporting shareholders. The dividend yield is modest — just under 0.5% as of mid-February — but payouts are reliable at under 30% of earnings, and the distribution is expected to grow at a double-digit pace in coming years.

Buybacks are the more meaningful return of capital. The company reduced its share count by roughly 4.9% in Q4 (on average) and 4.4% for the fiscal year. The primary balance-sheet downside is negative equity, but that is offset by healthy cash flow and a positive growth outlook. In this context, the deficit could persist or grow while share count falls sharply.

Institutional activity shows investors buying into the growth, cash flow, and capital-return story. MarketBeat data records a bullish institutional balance for six consecutive quarters, including Q1 2026. Activity ramped to historical highs in 2025 as WING’s price fell, and it is on track to set a record in Q1 2026, supporting the stock’s recent action.

Institutions provide a solid support base by owning a large share of outstanding stock and offer a meaningful tailwind with continued buying. The biggest near-term risk is short interest, which remains relatively high at about 14%. Short sellers could cap near-term gains, but short-covering would likely help lift the price over time.

Wingstop Confirms a Bottom With February Price Action

Wingstop’s price fell to long-term lows ahead of the release and rebounded strongly afterward. That action signals support at a critical level, aligns with prior lows, and points to a high probability of a sustained rebound. The move pushed the stock above a cluster of EMAs, which now serve as critical support. If that support holds, WING shares are likely to move into the $320 to $360 range — in line with analyst estimates — ahead of the Q1 2026 earnings release scheduled for mid-spring. 

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Monday’s Exclusive News

3 Stocks to Play the Summer Travel Boom as Demand Surges Again

Written by Dan Schmidt. Posted: 2/10/2026. 

Key Points

• A potential 2026 travel rebound is being fueled by improving demand drivers, including higher-end spending and a business travel recovery.
• Several travel names are already showing technical momentum, suggesting investors may be rotating into the group early.
• Hilton, Delta Air Lines, and Marriott are positioned to benefit if premium travel demand stays resilient.
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The world is gearing up for a travel boom in 2026, and investors are starting to rotate into the sector. Travel is shifting from a laggard to a leadership group as demand drivers reaccelerate and visibility improves across airlines and hotels.

With several major events on the calendar and premium spending holding up, the setup is improving well before the peak travel months. The industry — once one of the more downtrodden sectors — has produced outsized gains to start 2026, driven by several fundamental factors.

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Three stocks could stand out as potential leaders if the 2026 travel boom materializes.

Global Travel Demand Expected to be Strong in 2026

Pent-up demand, multiple catalysts, and supportive economic dynamics are converging to create a favorable environment for global travel. Many names in the space have already begun to break out, and the outlook has improved compared with 2025’s weak travel season. Key factors that have investors intrigued by travel stocks include:

• Return of Business Travel: The so-called K-shaped recovery is helping a previously lagging segment: business travel. Corporate clients typically spend more and favor premium options. Analysts at Morgan Stanley expect corporate travel budgets to grow about 5% in 2026, while hotel room rates are projected to rise 3.9%.
• Global Sporting Events: 2026 features several major international sporting events clustered within a few months. The Winter Olympics in Milan are currently underway, followed next month by the World Baseball Classic. The biggest draw will be the 2026 FIFA World Cup this summer across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. It’s been more than 20 years since the U.S. last hosted the tournament; the 1994 event attracted more than 3.5 million attendees.
• Sector Rotation: Market mechanics are also at work. As the AI rally cools, some investors are shifting into relatively safer sectors such as consumer staples and financials. Travel stocks, with several catalysts ahead, are a natural landing spot for some of that capital.

3 Travel Stocks Breaking Out This Month

If a breakout in travel stocks is underway, it will likely begin with these three companies. Each benefits from increased spending by more affluent clientele and shows technical momentum behind its move.

Hilton: Stock Breaking Out of Year-Long Consolidation

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HLT) is a premium brand with an asset-light business model that fits the current market backdrop.

The company reported more than 515,000 rooms in its pipeline in its Q3 2025 report last October and is targeting 6%–7% annual growth in 2026 and 2027.

Management also projects 2%–3% growth in 2026 for the important Revenue per Available Room (RevPAR) metric, after RevPAR was flat in 2025.

Hilton is scheduled to report Q4 and full-year 2025 results on February 11 before the opening bell, and investors will be watching closely for 2026 RevPAR guidance.

Analysts have been bullish ahead of the print: the stock received multiple price-target boostslast week, including new $330 targets from TD Cowen and Goldman Sachs.

The chart shows clear bullish momentum. After spending much of the second half of 2025 in a tight range, HLT broke above its 50-day simple moving average (SMA) in November and has since reached several new all-time highs. There could be further upside if the company reports strong earnings this week.

Delta Air Lines: Corporate Travel Boosting Earnings Growth

Delta Air Lines Inc. (NYSE: DAL) has climbed to new all-time highs this year thanks to earnings growth supported by corporate travel.

The company released its Q4 2025 earnings report on January 13, posting a slight EPS beat and a slight revenue miss; the slower sales growth was largely attributed to the government shutdown.

More importantly, Delta reported a record $4.6 billion free cash position and projects 20% year-over-year (YOY) EPS growth in 2026, driven by further increases in premium cabin revenue.

If economy-class demand recovers, the 20% EPS growth estimate could prove conservative. The stock’s breakout is supported by technical signals, including solid support at the 50-day SMA and an uptrending Relative Strength Index (RSI).

Marriott: High-End Clientele and Loyalty Program Provide Solid Floor

Marriott International Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is another global premium hotel brand, and its Bonvoy loyalty program—widely regarded as an industry standard—has nearly 237 million members.

The company expects 2026 revenue to grow more than 6% YOY, and RevPAR projections are improving after just 0.5% growth in Q3 2025.

MAR shares spent much of the fall consolidating around $270 in a tight range before breaking out above the 50-day SMA in November. That moving average is now acting as support, and the RSI is trending upward, underpinning the rally.

Marriott reported its Q4 results on Feb. 10, posting a strong revenue beat and a slight earnings miss, but optimistic 2026 guidance sent the stock up about 8% after the release.

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