Krispy Kreme, Inc. (NASDAQ:DNUT) Short Interest Up 8.1% in September

Krispy Kreme, Inc. (NASDAQ:DNUT) saw a large growth in short interest during the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totalling 19,640,000 shares, a growth of 8.1% from the September 15th total of 18,160,000 shares. Approximately 23.8% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 1,570,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 12.5 days.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the stock. Hsbc Global Res raised shares of Krispy Kreme from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. HSBC raised Krispy Kreme from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $14.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Evercore ISI reissued an “in-line” rating and set a $13.00 price objective on shares of Krispy Kreme in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Finally, Bank of America cut their target price on Krispy Kreme from $19.00 to $16.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 17th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $15.88.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Krispy Kreme

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Bamco Inc. NY boosted its stake in Krispy Kreme by 2.6% in the first quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 9,734,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $148,305,000 after purchasing an additional 246,600 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Krispy Kreme by 0.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,548,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,237,000 after buying an additional 67,130 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its position in Krispy Kreme by 38.1% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,779,882 shares of the company’s stock worth $40,670,000 after buying an additional 1,042,345 shares in the last quarter. Millennium Management LLC grew its holdings in Krispy Kreme by 136.7% during the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 3,500,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,669,000 after acquiring an additional 2,021,974 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Samlyn Capital LLC increased its position in Krispy Kreme by 120.5% in the 2nd quarter. Samlyn Capital LLC now owns 2,230,176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,997,000 after acquiring an additional 1,218,699 shares in the last quarter. 81.72% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Krispy Kreme Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ DNUT traded down $0.02 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $11.47. 667,429 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 2,090,108. Krispy Kreme has a 12 month low of $9.18 and a 12 month high of $17.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a current ratio of 0.34. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $11.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $11.56. The firm has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a PE ratio of -42.48, a PEG ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.41.

Krispy Kreme (NASDAQ:DNUT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.05. The firm had revenue of $438.80 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $435.43 million. Krispy Kreme had a negative net margin of 2.98% and a positive return on equity of 1.12%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.04 EPS. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Krispy Kreme will post 0.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Krispy Kreme Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be issued a $0.035 dividend. This represents a $0.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 23rd. Krispy Kreme’s payout ratio is currently -51.85%.

About Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, produces doughnuts in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, Japan, and internationally. The company operates through three segments: U.S., International, and Market Development. The company offers doughnut experiences through hot light theater and fresh shops, delivered fresh daily branded cabinets and merchandising units within grocery and convenience stores, quick service restaurants, club memberships, drug stores, and ecommerce, as well as through its branded sweet treat line comprising Krispy Kreme branded sweet treats.