Kroger (NYSE:KR) Raised to Hold at Melius

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Melius from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report issued on Tuesday,Finviz reports. The brokerage presently has a $70.00 price objective on the stock. Melius' price target suggests a potential upside of 1.57% from the company's previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also commented on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $68.06.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $68.92 on Tuesday. Kroger has a 1 year low of $49.04 and a 1 year high of $73.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54. The company's fifty day moving average price is $68.63 and its 200 day moving average price is $63.98. The company has a market capitalization of $45.55 billion, a PE ratio of 18.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. On average, research analysts predict that Kroger will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total value of $86,723.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,523.90. This represents a 9.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total value of $7,839,343.92. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 139,338 shares in the company, valued at $9,486,131.04. This represents a 45.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the first quarter worth $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.