Short Interest in Denny’s Corporation (NASDAQ:DENN) Rises By 22.3%

Denny’s Corporation (NASDAQ:DENN) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest during the month of December. As of December 31st, there was short interest totaling 5,823,735 shares, an increase of 22.3% from the December 15th total of 4,762,900 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 1,346,915 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.3 days. Approximately 11.8% of the shares of the company are sold short. Approximately 11.8% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 1,346,915 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 4.3 days.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on DENN. Benchmark cut Denny’s from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 5th. Mizuho raised Denny’s to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, October 28th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Denny’s in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Truist Financial reissued a “hold” rating and issued a $6.00 target price on shares of Denny’s in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, Oppenheimer lowered Denny’s from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and six have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $5.96.

Insider Activity

In other news, insider Jumana Capital Investments Llc purchased 250,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were purchased at an average price of $4.08 per share, for a total transaction of $1,020,000.00. Following the purchase, the insider directly owned 4,524,905 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $18,461,612.40. This represents a 5.85% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 4.20% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Denny’s

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Denny’s by 116.0% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 365,159 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,340,000 after purchasing an additional 196,118 shares during the period. Jacobs Levy Equity Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Denny’s during the 1st quarter worth about $368,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Denny’s in the second quarter valued at approximately $67,000. North Star Investment Management Corp. increased its stake in shares of Denny’s by 1,196.7% during the second quarter. North Star Investment Management Corp. now owns 272,300 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $1,116,000 after acquiring an additional 251,300 shares during the period. Finally, Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Denny’s by 45.1% during the second quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 23,897 shares of the restaurant operator’s stock valued at $98,000 after acquiring an additional 7,430 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.07% of the company’s stock.

Denny’s Stock Down 0.2%

NASDAQ:DENN traded down $0.01 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $6.25. 4,056,515 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,359,711. Denny’s has a 52 week low of $2.85 and a 52 week high of $7.66. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $6.19 and a 200-day simple moving average of $5.17. The stock has a market capitalization of $321.88 million, a P/E ratio of 31.25 and a beta of 1.37.

Denny’s (NASDAQ:DENN) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, November 4th. The restaurant operator reported $0.08 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.11 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $113.24 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $116.91 million. Denny’s had a negative return on equity of 60.26% and a net margin of 2.24%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 202.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.14 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Denny’s will post 0.5 earnings per share for the current year.

Denny’s Company Profile

Denny’s Corporation operates one of the largest full-service, family‐style restaurant chains in the United States, specializing in classic American diner fare. The company’s menu features breakfast, lunch and dinner offerings served around the clock, with signature items such as the Grand Slam breakfast, burgers, sandwiches and a variety of savory skillets. As a publicly traded entity under the symbol DENN on NASDAQ, Denny’s focuses on providing an accessible dining experience for a broad customer base, including families, travelers and late‐night diners.

The company’s business model combines both franchised and company‐owned locations.