The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the twelve research firms that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, seven have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $60.09.

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective 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. StockNews.com cut shares of Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. BNP Paribas began coverage on Kroger in a research report on Friday, October 18th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $56.00 price objective on the stock. Argus upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total value of $167,265.70. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 47,593 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,644,743.01. This trade represents a 5.95 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total value of $386,247.60. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares in the company, valued at $784,715.40. The trade was a 32.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 12,932 shares of company stock worth $721,243 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KR. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the third quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in Kroger by 218.8% in the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

KR stock traded down $0.74 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $58.02. The stock had a trading volume of 3,632,647 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,689,279. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $56.39 and a 200 day simple moving average of $54.12. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.98 billion, a PE ratio of 15.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.46. Kroger has a fifty-two week low of $42.10 and a fifty-two week high of $60.35.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is 33.51%.

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.