The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) SVP Stuart Aitken sold 132,627 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.18, for a total transaction of $8,379,373.86. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 217,523 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,743,103.14. This represents a 37.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.
Kroger Stock Down 0.1 %
NYSE:KR traded down $0.04 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $62.03. The company had a trading volume of 4,993,448 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,731,021. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $58.28 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.91. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $44.07 and a 12-month high of $63.59. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.42, a PEG ratio of 0.96 and a beta of 0.48.
Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.01. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The business had revenue of $33.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Kroger Announces Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.06%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is presently 33.86%.
Kroger declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $7.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to buy up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually an indication that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.
Analyst Ratings Changes
KR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Kroger from $59.00 to $69.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $65.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, December 11th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $64.31.
Get Our Latest Research Report on Kroger
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger
Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in Kroger during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at $34,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in Kroger by 218.8% during the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after acquiring an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Kroger in the third quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Kroger in the third quarter valued at $43,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.
About Kroger
(
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The Kroger Co operates as a food and drug retailer in the United States. The company operates combination food and drug stores, multi-department stores, marketplace stores, and price impact warehouses. Its combination food and drug stores offer natural food and organic sections, pharmacies, general merchandise, pet centers, fresh seafood, and organic produce; and multi-department stores provide apparel, home fashion and furnishings, outdoor living, electronics, automotive products, and toys.
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