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

Krispy Kreme, Inc. (NASDAQ:DNUT) has earned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eight ratings firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and three have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $4.6250.

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on DNUT. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Krispy Kreme in a research report on Wednesday, June 24th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Krispy Kreme from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Sunday, May 17th. Capital One Financial upgraded shares of Krispy Kreme from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $6.00 price target for the company in a research note on Thursday, March 26th. Finally, Zacks Research downgraded shares of Krispy Kreme from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Friday, May 15th.

Insider Activity at Krispy Kreme

In other Krispy Kreme news, Director Bernardo Hees bought 25,002 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 5th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $3.49 per share, for a total transaction of $87,256.98. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 1,574,635 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,495,476.15. This represents a 1.61% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders have bought 880,190 shares of company stock valued at $2,973,833 over the last three months. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Krispy Kreme

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 7,832 shares during the last quarter. FNY Investment Advisers LLC purchased a new position in shares of Krispy Kreme in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Apollon Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Krispy Kreme in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $35,000. Prudential Financial Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Krispy Kreme in the second quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors acquired a new position in shares of Krispy Kreme in the second quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.72% of the company’s stock.

Krispy Kreme Stock Performance

NASDAQ:DNUT opened at $3.51 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $605.12 million, a PE ratio of -1.17 and a beta of 1.26. Krispy Kreme has a 52-week low of $2.88 and a 52-week high of $5.73. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $3.57 and its 200 day moving average price is $3.58. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The company reported ($0.05) earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by ($0.02). The firm had revenue of $367.03 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $359.42 million. Krispy Kreme had a negative net margin of 33.36% and a negative return on equity of 4.34%. Krispy Kreme’s quarterly revenue was down 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.05) EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that Krispy Kreme will post -0.13 EPS for the current year.

About Krispy Kreme

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.