Krispy Kreme, Inc. (NASDAQ:DNUT) Short Interest Update

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

Institutional Trading of Krispy Kreme

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in Krispy Kreme by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,481,418 shares of the company's stock valued at $127,985,000 after buying an additional 58,222 shares during the last quarter. Benin Management CORP acquired a new stake in shares of Krispy Kreme during the 1st quarter worth about $292,000. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Krispy Kreme by 226.1% during the first quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC now owns 172,339 shares of the company's stock worth $2,626,000 after purchasing an additional 119,486 shares during the last quarter. Carlyle Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Krispy Kreme during the first quarter worth approximately $5,191,000. Finally, Quantbot Technologies LP boosted its holdings in Krispy Kreme by 167.6% in the first quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 43,304 shares of the company's stock valued at $660,000 after purchasing an additional 27,122 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.72% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

DNUT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI reissued an "in-line" rating and set a $13.00 price objective on shares of Krispy Kreme in a research report on Tuesday, August 27th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Krispy Kreme from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 23rd. HSBC upgraded shares of Krispy Kreme from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $14.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Krispy Kreme from $19.00 to $16.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, July 17th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Krispy Kreme presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $15.88.

Krispy Kreme Stock Down 0.2 %

DNUT traded down $0.02 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $11.47. 667,429 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 2,090,108. The firm has a market cap of $1.93 billion, a P/E ratio of -42.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.15 and a beta of 1.41. Krispy Kreme has a 12-month low of $9.18 and a 12-month high of $17.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 0.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $11.15 and a 200 day moving average of $11.56.

Krispy Kreme (NASDAQ:DNUT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.05. The business had revenue of $438.80 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $435.43 million. Krispy Kreme had a positive return on equity of 1.12% and a negative net margin of 2.98%. The company's revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.04 earnings per share. Analysts predict that Krispy Kreme will post 0.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Krispy Kreme Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Investors of record on Wednesday, October 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.035 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, October 23rd. This represents a $0.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.22%. Krispy Kreme's payout ratio is -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.