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

Krispy Kreme, Inc. (NASDAQ:DNUT) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the eight analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and three have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $4.6250.

DNUT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Krispy Kreme from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th. Capital One Financial upgraded shares of Krispy Kreme from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $6.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday, March 26th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Krispy Kreme from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 17th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Krispy Kreme in a research report on Friday, March 27th.

Krispy Kreme Trading Up 5.4%

NASDAQ:DNUT opened at $3.70 on Tuesday. Krispy Kreme has a 1 year low of $2.50 and a 1 year high of $5.73. The stock has a market cap of $637.88 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -1.24 and a beta of 1.27. The business has a fifty day moving average of $3.49 and a 200-day moving average of $3.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.42.

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 the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by ($0.02). Krispy Kreme had a negative return on equity of 4.34% and a negative net margin of 33.36%.The business had revenue of $367.03 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $359.42 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.05) EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Krispy Kreme will post -0.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Krispy Kreme

In related news, Director Bernardo Hees purchased 25,002 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, June 5th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $3.49 per share, for a total transaction of $87,256.98. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,574,635 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,495,476.15. This represents a 1.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In the last 90 days, insiders have bought 880,190 shares of company stock worth $2,973,833. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Krispy Kreme

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Arizona State Retirement System lifted its holdings in shares of Krispy Kreme by 11.9% in the third 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 during the period. R Squared Ltd grew its stake in shares of Krispy Kreme by 33.4% in the 3rd quarter. R Squared Ltd now owns 14,216 shares of the company’s stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 3,556 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG grew its stake in shares of Krispy Kreme by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 83,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $336,000 after purchasing an additional 3,638 shares during the last quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its stake in shares of Krispy Kreme by 1,229.5% in the 3rd quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 8,469 shares of the company’s stock worth $33,000 after purchasing an additional 7,832 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in shares of 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 during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.72% of the company’s stock.

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.