Evercore ISI Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Kroger (NYSE:KR) Stock Price

Key Points

• Evercore ISI has lowered its price target for Kroger (NYSE:KR) from $82.00 to $80.00, maintaining an "outperform" rating, indicating a potential upside of 18.50% from the current price.
• Multiple research firms have provided varying target prices, with a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $73.53 for Kroger.
• Kroger reported earnings of $1.04 per share, slightly exceeding the estimated $1.00, and set a FY 2025 guidance of 4.700-4.800 EPS.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by Evercore ISI from $82.00 to $80.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has an "outperform" rating on the stock. Evercore ISI's price target suggests a potential upside of 18.50% from the company's current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently commented on KR. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Barclays assumed coverage on Kroger in a research note on Monday, July 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $82.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, September 11th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $74.00 price objective (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and ten have given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $73.53.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE:KR opened at $67.51 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $44.74 billion, a PE ratio of 17.12, a P/E/G ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.57. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $69.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.85, a quick ratio of 0.54 and a current ratio of 0.95. Kroger has a fifty-two week low of $55.19 and a fifty-two week high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $33.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.08 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 32.62%. The company's quarterly revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.93 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that Kroger will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 3,810 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total transaction of $272,834.10. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 85,850 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,147,718.50. The trade was a 4.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of KR. IFC Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 1.7% in the first quarter. IFC Advisors LLC now owns 8,642 shares of the company's stock valued at $585,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC increased its position in Kroger by 1.9% in the second quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 8,025 shares of the company's stock worth $576,000 after buying an additional 146 shares in the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc increased its position in Kroger by 2.0% in the second quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 7,715 shares of the company's stock worth $553,000 after buying an additional 152 shares in the last quarter. Cairn Investment Group Inc. increased its position in Kroger by 0.3% in the second quarter. Cairn Investment Group Inc. now owns 58,902 shares of the company's stock worth $4,225,000 after buying an additional 163 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Independent Wealth Network Inc. increased its position in Kroger by 0.9% in the second quarter. Independent Wealth Network Inc. now owns 19,312 shares of the company's stock worth $1,385,000 after buying an additional 164 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

About Kroger

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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