Insider Selling: The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) EVP Sells 34,250 Shares of Stock

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total transaction of $2,437,230.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 184,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,127,098.68. This represents a 15.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR traded up $0.32 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $71.74. The stock had a trading volume of 5,652,883 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,884,396. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $49.74 and a 1 year high of $74.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $69.15 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $65.69. The company has a market capitalization of $47.41 billion, a PE ratio of 19.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.59.

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently commented on KR. Melius upgraded shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. 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 report on Monday, June 23rd. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $74.00 target price (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup lifted their price target on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.00.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth $351,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $223,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Kroger by 8.8% in the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 307,790 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,834,000 after buying an additional 24,849 shares in the last quarter. Coordinated Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $282,000. Finally, Mitchell Capital Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,870,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

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.

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