Western Standard LLC Acquires 283,736 Shares of Driven Brands Holdings Inc. $DRVN

Western Standard LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Driven Brands Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:DRVN) by 69.3% in the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 693,413 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 283,736 shares during the period. Driven Brands accounts for about 3.3% of Western Standard LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. Western Standard LLC’s holdings in Driven Brands were worth $11,171,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the business. Osaic Holdings Inc. boosted its stake in Driven Brands by 82.1% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 2,087 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 941 shares during the last quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Driven Brands by 744.6% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 1,854 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Driven Brands by 1,113.8% during the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,000 after purchasing an additional 3,063 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Driven Brands during the third quarter worth $84,000. Finally, Federated Hermes Inc. bought a new stake in Driven Brands in the third quarter valued at about $108,000. 77.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on DRVN shares. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on Driven Brands from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 15th. BTIG Research restated a “buy” rating and set a $21.00 price objective on shares of Driven Brands in a report on Thursday, January 8th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Driven Brands in a report on Wednesday, December 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Driven Brands from $23.00 to $21.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, November 12th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut Driven Brands from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $19.00 to $12.00 in a research note on Wednesday. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $20.56.

Insider Transactions at Driven Brands

In related news, insider Scott L. O’melia sold 46,875 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $16.00, for a total transaction of $750,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 326,944 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,231,104. This represents a 12.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.50% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Driven Brands

Here are the key news stories impacting Driven Brands this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Despite the turmoil, the company reported flat quarterly EPS versus the prior year and a strong return on equity (25.3%), indicating underlying franchise profitability may still exist. DRVN earnings and metrics
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent quarter: DRVN reported $0.30 EPS (missed consensus by $0.02) and $457.3M revenue (slightly below estimates); analysts project ~0.85 EPS for the fiscal year — these are modest misses but not on their own catastrophic. Quarterly results
• Negative Sentiment: Management called off the scheduled earnings release and said it will restate certain previously issued financial results — this directly triggered the selloff and raises accounting and disclosure risk for investors. Earnings delay and restatement
• Negative Sentiment: At least a half‑dozen law firms have opened investigations or issued shareholder alerts (e.g., Faruqi & Faruqi, Robbins Geller, Pomerantz, Glancy, Rosen, Kirby McInerney, Ademi, Holzer & Holzer). The proliferation of suits increases potential legal exposure, settlement risk and management distraction. Faruqi & Faruqi shareholder alert
• Negative Sentiment: Market reaction has been severe (reports of ~30% intraday decline after the announcement), reflecting heightened investor concern about restatement magnitude, potential revisions to prior earnings, and governance/controls issues. Market reaction coverage

Driven Brands Price Performance

NASDAQ DRVN opened at $11.45 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $15.65 and its 200-day moving average is $15.82. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.44. The company has a market capitalization of $1.88 billion, a PE ratio of -9.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 1.04. Driven Brands Holdings Inc. has a 12-month low of $9.80 and a 12-month high of $19.74.

Driven Brands (NASDAQ:DRVN) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 25th. The company reported $0.30 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.32 by ($0.02). Driven Brands had a negative net margin of 9.14% and a positive return on equity of 25.31%. The business had revenue of $457.33 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $459.50 million. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.30 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Driven Brands Holdings Inc. will post 0.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Driven Brands Company Profile

Driven Brands Holdings Inc (NASDAQ: DRVN) is a leading North American provider of automotive aftermarket services, operating through a network of franchised and company-owned locations. The company’s platform encompasses a diverse portfolio of car care and maintenance brands, including Meineke Car Care Centers, Maaco Collision Repair & Auto Painting, Take 5 Oil Change, and Carstar Collision Repair. Driven Brands delivers a full range of services from routine maintenance and oil changes to collision repair, paint protection, and vehicle customization.

Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, Driven Brands serves both individual consumers and commercial clients across the United States and Canada.