Krispy Kreme, Inc. (NASDAQ:DNUT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Krispy Kreme, Inc. (NASDAQ:DNUT) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eight research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $4.6250.

A number of research firms have issued reports on DNUT. Wall Street Zen upgraded Krispy Kreme from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, May 17th. Zacks Research cut Krispy Kreme from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Capital One Financial raised Krispy Kreme from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $6.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Krispy Kreme in a research report on Friday, March 27th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Krispy Kreme

In related news, Director Bernardo Hees acquired 235,875 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, June 2nd. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $3.39 per share, with a total value of $799,616.25. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 1,229,037 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,166,435.43. This represents a 23.75% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Over the last 90 days, insiders bought 880,190 shares of company stock worth $2,973,833. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its position in shares of Krispy Kreme by 11.9% during the 3rd quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 27,771 shares of the company’s stock valued at $107,000 after buying an additional 2,961 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd lifted its position in shares of Krispy Kreme by 33.4% during the 3rd quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 14,216 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 3,556 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG lifted its position in shares of Krispy Kreme by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 83,611 shares of the company’s stock valued at $336,000 after buying an additional 3,638 shares in the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Krispy Kreme by 1,229.5% during the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 8,469 shares of the company’s stock valued at $33,000 after buying an additional 7,832 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its holdings in Krispy Kreme by 21.2% in the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 47,672 shares of the company’s stock worth $192,000 after purchasing an additional 8,351 shares in the last quarter. 81.72% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Krispy Kreme Trading Down 7.4%

Krispy Kreme stock opened at $3.99 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $3.55 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $3.64. The company has a market cap of $687.88 million, a P/E ratio of -1.33 and a beta of 1.27. Krispy Kreme has a 52-week low of $2.50 and a 52-week high of $5.73. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.42 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

Krispy Kreme (NASDAQ:DNUT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.05) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $367.03 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $359.42 million. Krispy Kreme had a negative net margin of 33.36% and a negative return on equity of 4.34%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.05) earnings per share. Analysts predict that Krispy Kreme will post -0.07 EPS for the current year.

Krispy Kreme Company Profile

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc (NASDAQ: DNUT) is a global retailer and wholesaler renowned for its signature Original Glazed doughnut and a variety of other sweet treats. The company operates through a combination of company-owned stores, franchise outlets and strategic partnerships with supermarkets, convenience stores and other foodservice channels. In addition to its doughnut portfolio, Krispy Kreme offers freshly brewed coffee, assorted beverages and proprietary seasonal items designed to drive traffic and foster brand loyalty.

Founded in 1937 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, by Vernon Rudolph, Krispy Kreme has grown from a single local shop to a multinational brand.