Kroger (NYSE:KR) Rating Increased to Strong-Buy at Wall Street Zen

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) was upgraded by Wall Street Zen from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report issued on Friday.

KR has been the subject of several other reports. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective 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 on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Nine 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.00.

Kroger Trading Down 1.2%

KR stock traded down $0.86 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $71.36. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,350,961 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,943,445. Kroger has a 52 week low of $50.69 and a 52 week high of $74.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The stock has a market cap of $47.16 billion, a PE ratio of 19.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.59. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $68.86 and its 200-day simple moving average is $66.60.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $45.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.35 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 1.76%. The firm's revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.43 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Kroger will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 3,810 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total value of $272,834.10. Following the sale, the director owned 85,850 shares in the company, valued at $6,147,718.50. This represents a 4.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total transaction of $2,437,230.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 184,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,127,098.68. The trade was a 15.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 243,815 shares of company stock valued at $17,652,983. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. IFC Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 1.7% during the first quarter. IFC Advisors LLC now owns 8,642 shares of the company's stock worth $585,000 after acquiring an additional 142 shares during the period. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its stake in Kroger by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 18,045 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,103,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 8,049 shares of the company's stock valued at $545,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. Cairn Investment Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 163 shares during the period. Finally, Independent Wealth Network Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.9% in the 2nd 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 during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.