Wedbush Lukewarm On Buffalo Wild Wings Following Earnings

Wedbush issued a report on Buffalo Wild Wings (NASDAQ: BWLD) after the company reported fourth-quarter earnings on Thursday. Wedbush rates Buffalo Wild Wings as Neutral with a $180 price target.

Analysts Nick Setyan and Colin Radke wrote, “We believe current valuation properly reflects solid SSS growth trends at Buffalo Wild Wings, offset by potential investments ahead of expectations that may result in less leverage than some optimistic expectations. “

Q4 EPS for Buffalo Wild Wings was $1.07, which fell below the consensus estimates of $1.11. This can be attributed to higher operating costs. However, same-store sales grew at 11.9 percent, which analysts attribute to an increased number of sporting events and favorable weather.

In a conference call CEO Sally Smith said, “We’re exceptionally pleased with our restaurants’ performance in the fourth quarter and particularly with our same-store sales results...We saw very strong sales results during the college bowl games, both on New Year’s Day and on the day of the championship game.”

Buffalo Wild Wings closed Thursday at $180.29 and was up 4.28 percent in the premarket.