Krispy Kreme, Inc. (NASDAQ:DNUT) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Krispy Kreme, Inc. (NASDAQ:DNUT) was the target of a significant increase in short interest during the month of June. As of June 15th, there was short interest totalling 18,600,000 shares, an increase of 9.0% from the May 31st total of 17,060,000 shares. Approximately 23.0% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 3,740,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 5.0 days.

Institutional Trading of Krispy Kreme

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its position in Krispy Kreme by 25.7% in the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,423,196 shares of the company’s stock valued at $105,037,000 after acquiring an additional 1,721,287 shares in the last quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC grew its position in Krispy Kreme by 157.1% in the fourth quarter. Hsbc Holdings PLC now owns 6,978,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $106,130,000 after acquiring an additional 4,263,574 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Krispy Kreme by 25.4% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 2,317,443 shares of the company’s stock valued at $34,971,000 after acquiring an additional 469,379 shares in the last quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new stake in Krispy Kreme in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $272,000. Finally, Natixis Advisors L.P. boosted its stake in shares of Krispy Kreme by 4.9% during the 4th quarter. Natixis Advisors L.P. now owns 25,248 shares of the company’s stock valued at $380,000 after buying an additional 1,181 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.72% of the company’s stock.

Krispy Kreme Trading Down 5.1 %

Krispy Kreme stock opened at $10.21 on Tuesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.71, a current ratio of 0.36 and a quick ratio of 0.27. Krispy Kreme has a one year low of $9.98 and a one year high of $17.84. The business has a fifty day moving average of $11.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $13.03.

Krispy Kreme (NASDAQ:DNUT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The company reported $0.03 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.03. The business had revenue of $442.70 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $433.87 million. Krispy Kreme had a positive return on equity of 1.40% and a negative net margin of 2.70%. Research analysts forecast that Krispy Kreme will post 0.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Krispy Kreme Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, July 24th will be given a dividend of $0.035 per share. This represents a $0.14 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.37%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, July 24th. Krispy Kreme’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently -51.85%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

DNUT has been the topic of a number of research reports. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Krispy Kreme from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $13.00 to $15.00 in a research report on Monday, June 10th. Piper Sandler upgraded shares of Krispy Kreme from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $14.00 to $20.00 in a research report on Friday, April 5th. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of Krispy Kreme from $16.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Krispy Kreme in a research report on Monday, June 3rd. They set an “overweight” rating and a $14.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Krispy Kreme from $14.00 to $19.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 27th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Krispy Kreme presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $16.69.

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.