Kroger (NYSE:KR) Now Covered by Analysts at BNP Paribas

Research analysts at BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) in a research note issued on Friday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The firm set a "neutral" rating and a $56.00 price target on the stock. BNP Paribas' target price suggests a potential downside of 0.94% from the company's previous close.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a "hold" rating and a $55.00 price objective on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Argus lifted their target price on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given 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 $60.09.

Kroger Stock Down 0.0 %

Kroger stock traded down $0.01 during trading on Friday, reaching $56.53. The stock had a trading volume of 2,163,436 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,821,317. Kroger has a 52-week low of $42.10 and a 52-week high of $58.34. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $54.44 and a 200 day moving average price of $53.90. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market cap of $40.80 billion, a PE ratio of 19.29, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.47.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 28.54%. The company had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.09 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.96 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that Kroger will post 4.46 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other Kroger news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total value of $167,730.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 74,084 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,142,036.44. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Kroger news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total transaction of $167,730.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 74,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,142,036.44. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total transaction of $167,265.70. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 47,593 shares in the company, valued at $2,644,743.01. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 12,932 shares of company stock valued at $721,243. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth about $10,336,000. Buck Wealth Strategies LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth about $6,524,000. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 53.3% in the 1st quarter. Oppenheimer & Co. Inc. now owns 9,241 shares of the company's stock worth $528,000 after buying an additional 3,212 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 18.8% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 820,623 shares of the company's stock worth $46,882,000 after buying an additional 129,873 shares in the last quarter. Finally, OLD National Bancorp IN boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 82.2% in the 2nd quarter. OLD National Bancorp IN now owns 132,857 shares of the company's stock worth $6,634,000 after buying an additional 59,949 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.