Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) have earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seventeen brokerages that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $66.88.
Several analysts recently weighed in on KR shares. UBS Group lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $54.00 to $73.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. StockNews.com downgraded Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on KR
Insiders Place Their Bets
In other news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total value of $1,872,355.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 52,861 shares in the company, valued at $3,521,599.82. This represents a 34.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 11,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.37, for a total value of $719,070.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 127,106 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,308,919.22. This trade represents a 7.96 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 223,244 shares of company stock worth $15,001,418 over the last ninety days. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger
Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KR. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 18,045 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,103,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC increased its stake in Kroger by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 6,704 shares of the company's stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its position in Kroger by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,834 shares of the company's stock worth $479,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 23,410 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,432,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 4,260 shares of the company's stock valued at $260,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Kroger Stock Performance
KR stock traded down $1.01 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $64.39. The company had a trading volume of 5,542,254 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,852,421. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $63.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $60.04. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.59 billion, a PE ratio of 17.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. Kroger has a fifty-two week low of $49.04 and a fifty-two week high of $68.51.
Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The firm had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.96 billion. Analysts anticipate that Kroger will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.
Kroger announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $7.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's management believes its shares are undervalued.
Kroger Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.99%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.88%.
About Kroger
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Get Free ReportThe 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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