Krispy Kreme Stock Sell-Off: Should You Buy the Dip?
Key Takeaways
This beaten-down stock has suddenly found new life, but not for the right reason.
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7 min read
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investment
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July 28, 2025
12:23 AM
The Motley Fool
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From an analytical perspective, It's been a tough past few months for Krispy Kreme (DNUT 2
On the other hand, 55%) holders, in this volatile climate
Although the stock's perked up this month after becoming one of the market's favorite meme stocks, this gain still doesn't come close to unwinding the ticker's 66% setback from its September peak
S are now down 77% from their 2022 high, despite the recent bounce from the record low made in June, in this volatile climate
Moreover, Veteran investors know that the best time to buy a great stock is "on sale. " Krispy Kreme s are most definitely trading at a discount
However, a stock isn't necessarily great simply because it dipped
Here's some food for thought if this ticker has made its way back onto your radar
Krispy Kreme, up close and personal Krispy Kreme is one of the U. 's favorite doughnut brands, selling its goods through thousands of grocers and convenience stores all over the world, but also operating over 1,400 of its own stores where consumers can enjoy a freshly made treat
The company did over $1. 66 billion worth of last year, leveraging the sheer deliciousness of its doughnuts
This analysis suggests that re's no denying the drama undermining the stock's price, however
Case in point: After looking it was going to turn into a fruitful partnership when it first materialized in late 2022, in May of this year, fast food giant McDonald's discontinued its sales of Krispy Kreme's doughnuts (this bears monitoring)
Although it was never disclosed exactly how much this arrangement was generating for Krispy Kreme, in light of the sheer reach of McDonald's, it arguably wasn't insignificant
Additionally, Image source: Getty Images
However, The recent decision to cut its dividend payments doesn't exactly bolster the bullish argument, either, in today's market environment
Moreover, Krispy Kreme's woes began well before the dividend cut and the end of its relationship with McDonald's, in light of current trends
Furthermore, The divestiture of its stake in Insomnia Cookies beginning late last year pared back reported revenue as well
People are just eating healthier, too, looking to lose some of the bad eating habits -- and some of the pounds -- added during the COVID-19 pandemic, in this volatile climate
Krispy Kreme picked up weight as well during this time, in the form of debt
On the other hand, At the same time, As of the end of the first quarter of 2025, the doughnut powerhouse was nursing a little over $1
Nevertheless, 5 billion worth of long-term liabilities
That doesn't seem much, but it's a lot for a $1
Moreover, 76 billion outfit that's barely even
It's also a lot for an organization that was sitting on only a little over $1 billion in long-term debt four years ago, at the peak of the coronavirus contagion that was ving complicated for all es
DNUT Revenue (TTM) data by YCharts
Now the company wants to become bigger, but it recognizes that to do so, it will first need to become better
Conversely, That means de-leveraging its balance sheet by paying down at least some of the debt that's ultimately eating into fits (noteworthy indeed)
That's not easy to do if you're running the you want to evolve and expand while you're also shrinking some aspects of the operation (something worth watching)
Moreover, But there's always a chance that things will go as hoped
Furthermore, Enough reasons not to bite The question remains, however, in today's market environment
However, Is Krispy Kreme stock a buy ing what's turned into a longed, sizable sell-off
On the other hand, From a valuation perspective, not really
Analysts expect the company to remain in the red this year -- and next -- as it suffers the fallout from a couple of flopped partnerships and the new cost of paying down debt, in today's financial world
Moreover, It's also shifting from in-house to outsourced logistics that may end up costing it more in the long run
After all, a third-party dery service will be pricing in at least a little fit for itself, which Krispy Kreme didn't have to pay while it was handling its own transportation duties
Meanwhile, although it didn't explain exactly what it meant or how much it will cost, Krispy Kreme's plans to "strengthen [its] performance-based culture" ultimately sound an expense (noteworthy indeed)
At the same time, while "deploying capital to only the highest returning investments" makes enough superficial sense, the implication is that at least some semi-important initiatives could go underfunded, if not entirely unfunded
In contrast, In other words, all its plans are easier said than done, and all of them come at a cost of one or another
Additionally, Data source: StockAnalysis
Moreover, Furthermore, Then there's the not-so-small matter of suddenly becoming a meme stock (fascinating analysis)
A meme stock is a stock that's attracted the attention of an individual or group of traders specifically because they can influence that ticker's price, given current economic conditions
Sometimes they're talking it up because they own it
Other times, they're talking it down because they've shorted it, which is a bet that the stock's price will sink
All these groups or individuals will primarily exert this influence online, using clever digital imagery with a short message that's usually d online using social media
You know these images as memes
Sometimes it works -- and sometimes it doesn't
Additionally, Additionally, Given that the targeted stocks tend to be small-caps or low-float issues, these efforts usually work at least a little, but only for a little while
Additionally, The bullish memes have certainly lifted Krispy Kreme s out of the funk they were in through June
You want nothing to do with any ticker being targeted by anyone only looking to cash in on a short-term move they're creating (an important development)
In contrast, But only right up until the point it doesn't
Once it doesn't work anymore, it all unravels in a hurry (remarkable data)
And you never really know when that reversal is coming
Not now, but maybe later Don't misunderstand
Additionally, Nevertheless, Whether or not Krispy Kreme was one of the market's most active meme stocks at this time, there's still not enough of a bullish argument to justify the risk you'd be taking by buying it (which is quite significant), in this volatile climate
This company's struggling to remain fitable in the midst of a complicated overhaul
What the re reveals is might all work out in the end
However, there could be plenty of misery in the meantime (fascinating analysis)
Being a meme stock only adds to the near-term uncertainty
There are far better risk-versus-reward scenarios to choose from right now
Nevertheless, Still, you have to respect the willingness to at least try to fix what's broken (noteworthy indeed)
Plenty of companies would be too fearful of making any major changes or doing anything differently than what they were already doing
It might be fun to check back in on Krispy Kreme two to three years down the road, which is when analysts collectively believe it's going to be fully out of the red and back in the black.
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