Insider Selling: The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Director Sells 3,810 Shares of Stock

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) Director Clyde R. Moore sold 3,810 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total value of $272,834.10. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 85,850 shares in the company, valued at $6,147,718.50. The trade was a 4.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Kroger Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:KR traded up $0.37 during trading on Thursday, reaching $72.28. The company's stock had a trading volume of 3,925,202 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,915,981. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.77 billion, a PE ratio of 19.69, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.59. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $50.69 and a 12 month high of $74.11. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $68.87 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $66.45. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.35 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.76% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The business's revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.43 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger's payout ratio is currently 38.15%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. GC Wealth Management RIA LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth $461,000. Cairn Investment Group Inc. increased its stake in Kroger by 0.3% during the 2nd 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. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of Kroger by 1,122.2% in the second quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 6,722 shares of the company's stock valued at $482,000 after buying an additional 6,172 shares during the last quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH lifted its position in Kroger by 0.8% during the second quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 360,351 shares of the company's stock worth $25,848,000 after buying an additional 2,973 shares in the last quarter. Finally, KG&L Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at $543,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on KR. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $74.00 price target (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Melius upgraded shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $70.00.

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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