Krispy Kreme (NASDAQ:DNUT) Earns Equal Weight Rating from Analysts at Morgan Stanley

Equities researchers at Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of Krispy Kreme (NASDAQ:DNUT) in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday, StockNewsAPI reports. The brokerage set an “equal weight” rating and a $14.00 price target on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 12.72% from the stock’s current price.

DNUT has been the subject of several other research reports. HSBC upgraded shares of Krispy Kreme from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $14.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, July 23rd. 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. Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Krispy Kreme from $15.00 to $16.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI restated an “in-line” rating and set a $13.00 price target on shares of Krispy Kreme in a research note on Tuesday, August 27th. Four equities research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $15.67.

Krispy Kreme Price Performance

DNUT stock opened at $12.42 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.11 billion, a PE ratio of -41.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.91 and a beta of 1.39. The company’s 50-day moving average is $11.37 and its 200-day moving average is $11.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.73, a current ratio of 0.34 and a quick ratio of 0.26. Krispy Kreme has a 1 year low of $9.18 and a 1 year high of $17.84.

Krispy Kreme (NASDAQ:DNUT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 8th. The company reported $0.05 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.05. The business had revenue of $438.80 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $435.43 million. Krispy Kreme had a negative net margin of 2.98% and a positive return on equity of 1.12%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.04 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Krispy Kreme will post 0.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of DNUT. Millennium Management LLC grew its stake in Krispy Kreme by 136.7% in the 2nd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 3,500,855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,669,000 after buying an additional 2,021,974 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in Krispy Kreme in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $18,765,000. Samlyn Capital LLC grew its stake in Krispy Kreme by 120.5% in the 2nd quarter. Samlyn Capital LLC now owns 2,230,176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $23,997,000 after buying an additional 1,218,699 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Krispy Kreme by 38.1% in the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 3,779,882 shares of the company’s stock valued at $40,670,000 after buying an additional 1,042,345 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Driehaus Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Krispy Kreme by 121.7% in the 2nd quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 1,190,865 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,814,000 after buying an additional 653,637 shares in the last quarter. 81.72% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Krispy Kreme Company Profile

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.