Insider Selling: The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) VP Sells 4,492 Shares of Stock

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) VP Carin L. Fike sold 4,492 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.53, for a total transaction of $298,852.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $231,524.40. This trade represents a 56.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Kroger Stock Up 1.0 %

KR stock traded up $0.66 during trading on Friday, reaching $65.38. The stock had a trading volume of 8,027,064 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,853,009. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $49.04 and a 1-year high of $68.51. 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 company has a market capitalization of $47.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.30, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $63.37 and a 200 day moving average price of $59.91.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

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Kroger declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on KR. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. StockNews.com cut shares of Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.88.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. GSA Capital Partners LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 17.8% in the third quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 8,727 shares of the company's stock valued at $500,000 after acquiring an additional 1,320 shares in the last quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 141.8% during the third quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 25,797 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,478,000 after purchasing an additional 15,130 shares during the last quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc lifted its stake in Kroger by 6.2% during the third quarter. CIBC Asset Management Inc now owns 117,091 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,709,000 after purchasing an additional 6,797 shares during the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 73.9% in the 3rd quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 86,265 shares of the company's stock valued at $4,943,000 after acquiring an additional 36,660 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 390,443 shares of the company's stock valued at $22,373,000 after acquiring an additional 22,547 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Company Profile

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.