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Wingstop Inc.: Q4 FY2025 earnings call

What management said about Q4 FY2025, from the documents filed with the SEC on 18 February 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 6 new. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Quarterly revenue rose 8.6%: Total revenue for the fourth quarter was $175.7 million, against $161.8 million a year earlier, an increase of 8.6%. Source
  • Quarterly earnings per diluted share $0.96: Net income was $26.8 million, or $0.96 per diluted share. Adjusted earnings per diluted share were $1.00; adjusted EBITDA rose 9.8% to $61.9 million. Source
  • Record 493 net openings in 2025: The company opened 493 net new restaurants in fiscal 2025, a record, equal to 19.2% unit growth, with 3,056 restaurants system-wide at year-end. Source
  • Fourth-quarter same store sales fell: Domestic same store sales decreased 5.8% in the fourth quarter, after 10.1% growth a year earlier. Domestic AUV was $2,000 thousand against $2,138 thousand. Source
  • Fiscal same store sales down 3.3%: Domestic same store sales for fiscal 2025 decreased 3.3% versus 2024. Source
  • Cost of sales ratio improved to 75.6%: Cost of sales fell to 75.6% of company-owned restaurant sales from 77.6% a year earlier, with the company citing leverage on other operating expenses. Source
  • 2026 same store sales guided flat to low-single digit: Management guided fiscal 2026 domestic same store sales growth to flat to low-single digit, the first guidance range given for that year in this release. Source
  • Global unit growth guided 15% to 16%: Global unit growth is guided at 15% to 16% for fiscal 2026. Source

“Our team continues to demonstrate operational excellence as we opened 493 net new restaurants and expanded into six new international markets”

Michael Skipworth, President & Chief Executive Officer

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Domestic same store sales growth SourceFiscal year 2026Flat to low-single digitNew
Global unit growth rate SourceFiscal year 202615% to 16%New
SG&A expense SourceFiscal year 2026$151 - $154 millionNew
Stock-based compensation expense SourceFiscal year 2026approximately $32 millionNew
Interest expense, net SourceFiscal year 2026approximately $43 millionNew
Depreciation and amortization SourceFiscal year 2026approximately $30 millionNew

What changed from last quarter

  • New guidance: The company introduced fiscal 2026 guidance covering domestic same store sales, global unit growth, SG&A, stock-based compensation, interest expense and depreciation and amortization. Source
  • New: SG&A guidance for fiscal 2026 includes $3 million of restructuring charges tied to a corporate realignment. Source
  • New: The Wingstop Smart Kitchen was implemented across all domestic restaurants during the year. Source

Fourth quarter and full-year results

  • Quarterly revenue rose 8.6%: Total revenue for the fourth quarter was $175.7 million, against $161.8 million a year earlier, an increase of 8.6%. Source
  • Quarterly earnings per diluted share $0.96: Net income was $26.8 million, or $0.96 per diluted share. Adjusted earnings per diluted share were $1.00; adjusted EBITDA rose 9.8% to $61.9 million. Source
  • Full-year adjusted EBITDA up 15.2%: Fiscal 2025 total revenue rose 11.4% to $696.9 million. Adjusted EBITDA increased 15.2% to $244.2 million. Source
  • Full-year net income includes investment gain: Fiscal 2025 net income rose 60.3% to $174.3 million, or $6.21 per diluted share. Adjusted net income rose 3.8% to $114.5 million; reported results include a $92.5 million gain on sale of an equity investment in the first quarter. Source

Revenue streams and system sales

  • System-wide sales up 9.3% in quarter: System-wide sales were $1.3 billion in the fourth quarter, up 9.3%, and $5.3 billion for fiscal 2025, up 12.1%. Source
  • Royalty revenue rose on new units: Royalty revenue, franchise fees and other rose $6.2 million. Net new franchise development added $10.6 million, partly offset by a $3.6 million decrease from the same store sales decline. Source
  • Advertising fees rose with system sales: Advertising fees rose $5.3 million, reflecting 9.3% system-wide sales growth and a national advertising fund contribution rate of 5.5%, up from 5.3%. Source
  • Digital sales reached 73.2%: Digital sales represented 73.2% of system-wide sales in the fourth quarter. Source

“In a year marked by uncertainty, the structural advantages of our operating model are reflected in our 15% Adjusted EBITDA growth in 2025.”

Michael Skipworth, President & Chief Executive Officer

Restaurant openings and footprint

  • Record 493 net openings in 2025: The company opened 493 net new restaurants in fiscal 2025, a record, equal to 19.2% unit growth, with 3,056 restaurants system-wide at year-end. Source
  • 124 net openings in fourth quarter: Fourth-quarter net openings were 124, including 85 domestic franchised and 49 international franchised openings, against 10 closures in the quarter. Source
  • Company-owned base of 57 restaurants: Of the 2,586 domestic restaurants at year-end, 2,529 were franchised and 57 were company-owned; 470 franchised restaurants were international. Source

Same-store sales and demand

  • Fourth-quarter same store sales fell: Domestic same store sales decreased 5.8% in the fourth quarter, after 10.1% growth a year earlier. Domestic AUV was $2,000 thousand against $2,138 thousand. Source
  • Fiscal same store sales down 3.3%: Domestic same store sales for fiscal 2025 decreased 3.3% versus 2024. Source
  • Company-owned same store sales rose: Company-owned domestic same store sales grew 1.6% in the fourth quarter, with company-owned restaurant sales up $2.3 million, driven primarily by transactions. Source

“This year’s performance reflects the compelling returns of our unit economics, but also the confidence in our strategy that will enable our vision of reaching more than 10,000 restaurants globally.”

Michael Skipworth, President & Chief Executive Officer

Costs and margins

  • Cost of sales ratio improved to 75.6%: Cost of sales fell to 75.6% of company-owned restaurant sales from 77.6% a year earlier, with the company citing leverage on other operating expenses. Source
  • Lower bone-in wing costs cited: The margin change was attributed to sales leverage on other operating expenses and to lower bone-in chicken wing costs. Source
  • SG&A rose on headcount costs: SG&A rose $2.1 million to $33.3 million in the quarter, driven by headcount-related expenses. Source
  • Fiscal cost of sales ratio 75.4%: For fiscal 2025, cost of sales was 75.4% of company-owned restaurant sales, against 76.5% in 2024; other restaurant operating expenses fell to 17.9% from 19.2%. Source
  • System implementation costs treated as non-recurring: The company describes system implementation costs as non-recurring expenses tied to new enterprise resource planning, human capital management and global development technology. Source

Capital and shareholder returns

  • Quarterly dividend set at $0.30: The board declared a $0.30 quarterly dividend, about $8.3 million in total, payable March 27, 2026. Source
  • Fourth-quarter share repurchases: The company repurchased and retired 248,278 shares at an average $241.65 per share in the fourth quarter, leaving $91.3 million available under the program. Source
  • Cash balance declined year on year: Cash and cash equivalents were $196.6 million at year-end, down from $315.9 million; investments rose to $87.2 million from $8.5 million. Source

Strategy and international expansion

  • Six new international markets entered: Management said the company opened 493 net new restaurants and expanded into six new international markets during 2025. Source
  • Vision of more than 10,000 restaurants: Management described its vision of reaching more than 10,000 restaurants globally, against 3,056 system-wide restaurants at year-end. Source
  • Smart Kitchen rolled out in 10 months: The Wingstop Smart Kitchen was implemented in all 2,586 domestic restaurants in 10 months, according to management. Source

2026 guidance and planned costs

  • 2026 same store sales guided flat to low-single digit: Management guided fiscal 2026 domestic same store sales growth to flat to low-single digit, the first guidance range given for that year in this release. Source
  • Global unit growth guided 15% to 16%: Global unit growth is guided at 15% to 16% for fiscal 2026. Source
  • SG&A guided with restructuring charges: SG&A is guided at $151 million to $154 million, including $3 million of restructuring charges related to corporate realignment. Source
  • Stock comp, interest and D&A guided: Stock-based compensation is guided at about $32 million, interest expense, net at about $43 million, and depreciation and amortization at about $30 million. Source

Coming up, as management said on 18 February 2026

  • Quarterly dividend payment date: The $0.30 dividend is payable March 27, 2026 to holders of record as of March 6, 2026. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Comparable sales SourceDomestic same store sales -5.8% in fourth quarter; -3.3% for fiscal 2025
Traffic and average ticket SourceNo traffic or average ticket figure stated; company-owned growth driven by transactions
Store openings and closings Source124 net openings in fourth quarter; 493 net openings in fiscal 2025
E-commerce share SourceDigital 73.2% of system-wide sales
Gross margin SourceCost of sales 75.6% of company-owned restaurant sales in fourth quarter (77.6% prior year)

Risks management discussed

  • Demand: Royalty revenue growth was partly offset by a $3.6 million decrease from the 5.8% decline in domestic same store sales. Source
  • Financial: Interest expense, net rose $2.8 million to $9.2 million, mainly from interest on the December 2024 securitized financing that added $500 million of debt. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: Management refers to this as its vision and ties it to the returns of its unit economics; no progress against the target is stated. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.