Traders Buy High Volume of Krispy Kreme Call Options (NASDAQ:DNUT)

Krispy Kreme, Inc. (NASDAQ:DNUT) saw some unusual options trading on Tuesday. Stock investors acquired 5,012 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 454% compared to the typical volume of 905 call options.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blue Trust Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Krispy Kreme by 28.3% during the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 8,064 shares of the company’s stock valued at $87,000 after buying an additional 1,779 shares during the last quarter. Walkner Condon Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Krispy Kreme in the third quarter worth approximately $346,000. Versor Investments LP acquired a new stake in shares of Krispy Kreme during the third quarter worth $411,000. Sargent Investment Group LLC acquired a new stake in Krispy Kreme during the 3rd quarter worth about $215,000. Finally, Connable Office Inc. lifted its position in shares of Krispy Kreme by 98.3% in the 3rd quarter. Connable Office Inc. now owns 29,968 shares of the company’s stock valued at $322,000 after acquiring an additional 14,859 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 81.72% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Krispy Kreme from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 12th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on Krispy Kreme from $14.00 to $12.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $15.25.

Krispy Kreme Trading Down 21.9 %

NASDAQ DNUT opened at $7.13 on Wednesday. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $9.11 and its 200-day simple moving average is $10.40. The company has a current ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67. The stock has a market cap of $1.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 41.94, a PEG ratio of 3.24 and a beta of 1.34. Krispy Kreme has a 52 week low of $6.35 and a 52 week high of $17.84.

Krispy Kreme (NASDAQ:DNUT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.01 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.10 by ($0.09). Krispy Kreme had a return on equity of 0.53% and a net margin of 1.64%. The company had revenue of $404.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $413.18 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.09 EPS. Krispy Kreme’s revenue for the quarter was down 10.4% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts predict that Krispy Kreme will post 0.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Krispy Kreme Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 23rd will be paid a dividend of $0.035 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 23rd. This represents a $0.14 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.96%. Krispy Kreme’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 82.35%.

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.