Kroger (NYSE:KR) Coverage Initiated at Barclays

Research analysts at Barclays initiated coverage on shares of Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 price target on the stock. Barclays's target price points to a potential upside of 5.10% from the stock's current price.

A number of other equities research analysts have also weighed in on the stock. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Melius Research upgraded shares of Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.25.

Kroger Price Performance

KR stock opened at $71.36 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.53. Kroger has a one year low of $50.69 and a one year high of $74.11. The stock has a market cap of $47.16 billion, a PE ratio of 19.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.59. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.86 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $66.67.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $45.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.43 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts predict that Kroger will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other news, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total value of $2,749,822.40. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 75,218 shares in the company, valued at $5,448,791.92. This represents a 33.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 3,810 shares of the 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 completion of the transaction, the director owned 85,850 shares in the company, valued at $6,147,718.50. This trade represents a 4.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 228,948 shares of company stock worth $16,585,026 in the last ninety days. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. raised its position in shares of Kroger by 6,840.0% during the second quarter. SOA Wealth Advisors LLC. now owns 347 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 342 shares during the last quarter. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the first quarter valued at $25,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the first quarter valued at $31,000. Institutional investors 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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