Driven Brands (NASDAQ:DRVN) Upgraded at Freedom Capital

Freedom Capital upgraded shares of Driven Brands (NASDAQ:DRVN) to a strong-buy rating in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on DRVN. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Driven Brands in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Driven Brands from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 19th. Wall Street Zen lowered Driven Brands from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 13th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of Driven Brands in a research report on Wednesday, December 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their price objective on Driven Brands from $20.00 to $17.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 15th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, four have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $20.00.

Driven Brands Trading Up 3.1%

Shares of Driven Brands stock opened at $12.76 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.10 billion, a PE ratio of -10.29 and a beta of 1.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.44, a current ratio of 0.90 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $14.07 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $14.89. Driven Brands has a 52-week low of $9.80 and a 52-week high of $19.74.

Insider Buying and Selling at Driven Brands

In other news, insider Scott L. O’melia sold 46,875 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, January 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $16.00, for a total transaction of $750,000.00. Following the transaction, the insider directly owned 326,944 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 3.50% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Driven Brands

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its position in shares of Driven Brands by 82.1% during the 2nd 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 grew its stake in shares of Driven Brands by 744.6% during the second 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 period. Comerica Bank increased its holdings in Driven Brands by 328.8% in the fourth quarter. Comerica Bank now owns 2,933 shares of the company’s stock valued at $43,000 after purchasing an additional 2,249 shares during the last quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Driven Brands by 1,113.8% in the third quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 3,338 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,000 after buying an additional 3,063 shares during the period. Finally, Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in Driven Brands by 1,347.7% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 3,822 shares of the company’s stock valued at $57,000 after buying an additional 3,558 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 77.08% of the company’s stock.

Driven Brands News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Broker upgrade to “strong-buy” from Freedom Capital — a near-term bullish catalyst that can support buying interest and help explain today’s uptick. Zacks / Freedom Capital Upgrade
• Neutral Sentiment: Reported short-interest data in March is inconsistent/odd in public feeds (entries showing large increases but zero shares reported); unclear impact until reliable short-interest figures are confirmed by exchanges—monitor for accurate short percentage and days-to-cover updates.
• Negative Sentiment: Company disclosed material accounting errors and internal control failures covering prior fiscal years, which precipitated a nearly 40% stock drop and raises risk of financial restatements and regulatory scrutiny. BFA Law / GlobeNewswire
• Negative Sentiment: Shareholder losses and the disclosure led to a large market-cap wipeout (~$800M reported) and at least one securities class action; this amplifies legal exposure and potential financial impact on future earnings and cash flow. Hagens Berman / GlobeNewswire
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple plaintiff law firms (Rosen, Glancy, Levi & Korsinsky, Pomerantz, Schall, Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, others) are soliciting investors and seeking lead-plaintiff status—this wave of litigation notices signals sustained legal and remediation costs and keeps downside risk elevated. Representative notices: Rosen / PR Newswire Glancy / PR Newswire

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.