First Watch announces a secondary offering of 5 million shares, managed by Advent International, with proceeds going to the sellers.
Quiver AI Summary
First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. announced the launch of an underwritten secondary offering of 5,000,000 shares of its common stock, managed by Advent International, with the proceeds going entirely to the selling stockholders; the company will not sell any shares or receive proceeds from the offering. Barclays and Goldman Sachs are the underwriters for this offering, which will sell shares on the Nasdaq Global Select Market and other venues at current market prices. The offering is part of an effective shelf registration filed with the SEC, and interested investors are encouraged to review the related prospectus documents for more information. The press release also includes cautionary notes about forward-looking statements and discusses potential risks affecting the company's future performance. First Watch operates over 580 restaurants, emphasizing quality Daytime Dining with a commitment to community impact.
Potential Positives
- First Watch is recognized as the leading Daytime Dining concept, enhancing its brand prestige in the restaurant industry.
- The company has received the accolade of 2024's #1 Most Loved Workplace in America, indicating strong employee satisfaction and engagement.
- First Watch's commitment to community service is highlighted by its initiative to donate a portion of kid's meal proceeds to impactful organizations, demonstrating corporate social responsibility.
- The offering is being conducted through reputable underwriters Barclays and Goldman Sachs, which may enhance investor confidence in the transaction.
Potential Negatives
- The company is not receiving any proceeds from the secondary offering, which may indicate potential liquidity issues or reliance on external shareholders for capital.
- The significant number of shares being offered (5,000,000) could dilute existing shareholders' ownership and negatively impact the stock price.
- The presence of numerous identified risks in the forward-looking statements section may raise concerns about the company's operational stability and future performance.
FAQ
What is the purpose of First Watch's secondary offering?
The secondary offering aims to sell 5,000,000 shares of common stock managed by Advent International, L.P.
Who will receive the proceeds from the offering?
The Selling Stockholders will receive all proceeds from the offering, with First Watch not selling any shares.
Who are the underwriters for the offering?
Barclays and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC are acting as the underwriters for the secondary offering.
How can investors access offering documents?
Investors can obtain offering documents from Barclays and Goldman Sachs or visit the SEC's EDGAR website.
What should investors consider before investing?
Investors should review the prospectus and other SEC filings for complete information about First Watch and potential risks.
Disclaimer: This is an AI-generated summary of a press release distributed by GlobeNewswire. The model used to summarize this release may make mistakes. See the full release here.
$FWRG Congressional Stock Trading
Members of Congress have traded $FWRG stock 1 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 1 have been purchases and 0 have been sales.
Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $FWRG stock by members of Congress over the last 6 months:
- REPRESENTATIVE GILBERT RAY CISNEROS, JR. purchased up to $15,000 on 05/15.
To track congressional stock trading, check out Quiver Quantitative's congressional trading dashboard.
$FWRG Insider Trading Activity
$FWRG insiders have traded $FWRG stock on the open market 11 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 1 have been purchases and 10 have been sales.
Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $FWRG stock by insiders over the last 6 months:
- INTERNATIONAL, L.P. ADVENT sold 4,500,000 shares for an estimated $66,150,000
- CHRISTOPHER ANTHONY TOMASSO (President and CEO) has made 0 purchases and 3 sales selling 125,731 shares for an estimated $2,129,439.
- CHARLES JEMLEY purchased 15,000 shares for an estimated $247,500
- H MELVILLE III HOPE (CFO and Treasurer) sold 8,013 shares for an estimated $134,698
- JAY ANTHONY WOLSZCZAK (Chief Legal Officer, GC & Secy) sold 5,743 shares for an estimated $96,539
- MATTHEW EISENACHER (Chief Brand Officer) sold 4,257 shares for an estimated $71,560
- ERIC RICHARD HARTMAN (Chief Development Officer) sold 3,916 shares for an estimated $65,827
- LAURA ANNE SORENSEN (Chief People Officer) sold 3,675 shares for an estimated $61,776
- JOHN DANIEL JONES (Chief Operations Officer) sold 3,554 shares for an estimated $59,742
To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard.
$FWRG Hedge Fund Activity
We have seen 97 institutional investors add shares of $FWRG stock to their portfolio, and 69 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.
Here are some of the largest recent moves:
- FMR LLC added 2,028,128 shares (+830.4%) to their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $33,768,331
- RIVERBRIDGE PARTNERS LLC added 1,279,544 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q2 2025, for an estimated $20,523,885
- METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT, LLC added 814,062 shares (+3919.8%) to their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $13,554,132
- MARSHALL WACE, LLP added 679,835 shares (+306.6%) to their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $11,319,252
- SILVERCREST ASSET MANAGEMENT GROUP LLC added 628,114 shares (+inf%) to their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $10,458,098
- CITADEL ADVISORS LLC removed 536,392 shares (-99.6%) from their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $8,930,926
- 12 WEST CAPITAL MANAGEMENT LP removed 522,705 shares (-26.0%) from their portfolio in Q1 2025, for an estimated $8,703,038
To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard.
$FWRG Analyst Ratings
Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $FWRG in the last several months. We have seen 9 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.
Here are some recent analyst ratings:
- Benchmark issued a "Buy" rating on 08/06/2025
- TD Cowen issued a "Buy" rating on 07/29/2025
- B of A Securities issued a "Buy" rating on 07/18/2025
- Barclays issued a "Overweight" rating on 07/17/2025
- Raymond James issued a "Strong Buy" rating on 07/17/2025
- TD Securities issued a "Buy" rating on 06/04/2025
- Guggenheim issued a "Buy" rating on 05/08/2025
To track analyst ratings and price targets for $FWRG, check out Quiver Quantitative's $FWRG forecast page.
$FWRG Price Targets
Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $FWRG recently. We have seen 9 analysts offer price targets for $FWRG in the last 6 months, with a median target of $21.0.
Here are some recent targets:
- Jim Salera from Stephens & Co. set a target price of $24.0 on 08/06/2025
- Todd Brooks from Benchmark set a target price of $24.0 on 08/06/2025
- Andrew Charles from TD Cowen set a target price of $21.0 on 07/29/2025
- Sara Senatore from B of A Securities set a target price of $21.0 on 07/18/2025
- Brian Vaccaro from Raymond James set a target price of $22.0 on 07/17/2025
- Dan Levy from Barclays set a target price of $21.0 on 07/17/2025
- Andrew Charles from TD Securities set a target price of $19.0 on 06/04/2025
Full Release
BRADENTON, Fla., Aug. 06, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- First Watch Restaurant Group, Inc. (“FWRG” or the “Company”) (NASDAQ: FWRG), the leading Daytime Dining concept serving breakfast, brunch and lunch, today announced the launch of an underwritten secondary offering (the “Offering”) by certain funds managed by Advent International, L.P. (the “Selling Stockholders”) of 5,000,000 shares of the Company’s common stock (“Common Stock”).
The Selling Stockholders will receive all of the proceeds from the Offering. The Company is not selling any shares of Common Stock in the Offering and will not receive any proceeds from the Offering.
Barclays and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC are acting as the underwriters of the Offering.
The underwriters propose to offer the shares of Common Stock from time to time for sale in one or more transactions on the Nasdaq Global Select Market, in the over-the-counter market, through negotiated transactions or otherwise at market prices prevailing at the time of sale, at prices related to prevailing market prices or at negotiated prices.
The Offering is being made pursuant to an effective shelf registration statement (including a prospectus) filed by the Company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) to which this communication relates. Before you invest, you should read the prospectus in the shelf registration statement and other documents the Company has filed with the SEC for more complete information about the Company and the Offering. The Offering will be made only by means of a free writing prospectus, a prospectus and a related prospectus supplement relating to the Offering, copies of which may be obtained from Barclays Capital Inc., c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, [email protected] (888) 603-5847 and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282, telephone: 1-866-471-2526, facsimile: 212-902-9316 or by emailing [email protected]. A copy of the free writing prospectus, the prospectus and the related prospectus supplement relating to the Offering may also be obtained free of charge by visiting EDGAR on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov .
This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.
Cautionary Note Concerning Forward Looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, which are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause actual results to be materially different from the statements made herein. All statements other than statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements discuss our current expectations and projections relating to our financial position, results of operations, plans, objectives, future performance and business. You can identify forward-looking statements by the fact that they do not relate strictly to any historical or current facts. These statements may include words such as “aim,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “forecast,” “future,” “intend,” “outlook,” “potential,” “project,” “projection,” “plan,” “seek,” “may,” “could,” “would,” “will,” “should,” “can,” “can have,” “likely,” the negatives thereof and other similar expressions. You should evaluate all forward looking statements made in this press release in the context of the risks and uncertainties disclosed herein, in our Annual Report on Form 10-K as of and for the year ended December 29, 2024, including under Part I. Item 1A. “Risk Factors” and Part II. Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” and our other filings with the SEC, accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and the Investors Relations section of the Company’s website at https://investors.firstwatch.com/financial-information/sec-filings. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements include the following: our vulnerability to changes in consumer preferences and economic conditions such as inflation and recession; uncertainty regarding the Russia and Ukraine war, war and unrest in the Middle East and the related impact on macroeconomic conditions, including inflation, as a result of such conflicts or other related events; our vulnerability to changes in economic conditions and consumer preferences; our inability to successfully open new restaurants or establish new markets; our inability to effectively manage our growth; potential negative impacts on sales at our and our franchisees’ restaurants as a result of our opening new restaurants; a decline in visitors to any of the retail centers, lifestyle centers, or entertainment centers where our restaurants are located; lower than expected same restaurant sales growth; unsuccessful marketing programs and limited time new offerings; changes in the cost of food; unprofitability or closure of new restaurants or lower than previously experienced performance in existing restaurants; our inability to compete effectively for customers; unsuccessful financial performance of our franchisees; our limited control over our franchisees’ operations; our inability to maintain good relationships with our franchisees; conflicts of interest with our franchisees; the geographic concentration of our system-wide restaurant base in the southeast portion of the United States; damage to our reputation and negative publicity; our inability or failure to recognize, respond to and effectively manage the accelerated impact of social media; our limited number of suppliers and distributors for several of our frequently used ingredients and shortages or disruptions in the supply or delivery of such ingredients; information technology system failures or breaches of our network security; our failure to comply with federal and state laws and regulations relating to privacy, data protection, advertising and consumer protection, or the expansion of current or the enactment of new laws or regulations relating to privacy, data protection, advertising and consumer protection; our potential liability with our gift cards under the property laws of some states; our failure to enforce and maintain our trademarks and protect our other intellectual property; litigation with respect to intellectual property assets; our dependence on our executive officers and certain other key employees; our inability to identify, hire, train and retain qualified individuals for our workforce; our failure to obtain or to properly verify the employment eligibility of our employees; our failure to maintain our corporate culture as we grow; unionization activities among our employees; employment and labor law proceedings; labor shortages or increased labor costs or health care costs; risks associated with leasing property subject to long-term and non-cancelable leases; risks related to our sale of alcoholic beverages; costly and complex compliance with federal, state and local laws, including trade and tax policies; changes in accounting principles applicable to us; our vulnerability to natural disasters, unusual weather conditions, pandemic outbreaks, political events, war and terrorism; our inability to secure additional capital to support business growth; our level of indebtedness; failure to comply with covenants under our credit facility; and the interests of our largest stockholder may differ from those of public stockholders. For additional discussion of factors that could impact our operational and financial results, please refer to our filings with the SEC, accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov and the Investors Relations section of the Company’s website at https://investors.firstwatch.com/financial-information/sec-filings. Should one or more of these risks or uncertainties materialize, or should any of our assumptions prove incorrect, our actual financial condition, results of operations, future performance and business may vary in material respects from the performance projected in these forward-looking statements.
About First Watch
First Watch is the leading Daytime Dining concept serving made-to-order breakfast, brunch and lunch using the freshest ingredients available. Guided by its “Follow the Sun” culinary philosophy, First Watch's chef-driven menu rotates five times a year to feature the highest-quality flavors at their peak, offering elevated executions of classic favorites, fresh juices like the Kale Tonic, and fan favorites such as the Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, Quinoa Power Bowl and signature Million Dollar Bacon. For every kid’s meal served, First Watch proudly donates a portion to organizations and causes making a positive impact in our communities – raising more than $1.7 million to date. A recipient of hundreds of local “Best Breakfast” and “Best Brunch” awards, First Watch was also named 2024’s #1 Most Loved Workplace® in America by Newsweek and the Best Practice Institute, after appearing on the list in 2022 and 2023 as well. With a commitment to quality, hospitality and community, First Watch is redefining Daytime Dining across more than 580 restaurants in 31 states.
Investor Relations Contact:
Steven L. Marotta
941-500-1918
[email protected]
Media Relations Contact:
Jenni Glester
407-864-5823
[email protected]