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

Krispy Kreme, Inc. (NASDAQ:DNUT) saw a large decline in short interest in the month of October. As of October 31st, there was short interest totalling 16,450,000 shares, a decline of 7.0% from the October 15th total of 17,680,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,430,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 11.5 days. Approximately 19.9% of the shares of the company are short sold.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Krispy Kreme

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Swiss National Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Krispy Kreme by 11.5% in the first quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 166,400 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,535,000 after buying an additional 17,200 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC raised its stake in Krispy Kreme by 8.5% during the 1st quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC now owns 15,739 shares of the company’s stock valued at $240,000 after purchasing an additional 1,239 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Krispy Kreme by 0.8% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,548,548 shares of the company’s stock valued at $130,237,000 after purchasing an additional 67,130 shares in the last quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Krispy Kreme in the first quarter worth $381,000. Finally, Bamco Inc. NY boosted its position in shares of Krispy Kreme by 2.6% in the first quarter. Bamco Inc. NY now owns 9,734,467 shares of the company’s stock worth $148,305,000 after buying an additional 246,600 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 81.72% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

DNUT has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America raised their price target on Krispy Kreme from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 22nd. HSBC raised shares of Krispy Kreme from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $14.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Krispy Kreme from $14.00 to $13.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, November 12th. Hsbc Global Res upgraded shares of Krispy Kreme from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI reissued an “in-line” rating and set a $13.00 target price on shares of Krispy Kreme in a report on Tuesday, August 27th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, five have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Krispy Kreme currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $15.56.

Krispy Kreme Trading Up 0.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ:DNUT opened at $10.83 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.67, a quick ratio of 0.28 and a current ratio of 0.35. The stock has a market capitalization of $1.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 63.71, a PEG ratio of 2.73 and a beta of 1.39. Krispy Kreme has a 1-year low of $9.18 and a 1-year high of $17.84. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $11.36 and a 200 day moving average price of $11.14.

Krispy Kreme Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 6th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, October 23rd were issued a dividend of $0.035 per share. This represents a $0.14 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.29%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, October 23rd. Krispy Kreme’s dividend payout ratio 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.