Kroger (NYSE:KR) Reaches New 12-Month High - What's Next?

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) shares hit a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The company traded as high as $72.09 and last traded at $71.72, with a volume of 893577 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $71.22.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently weighed in on KR. Melius cut Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $58.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Kroger from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.50.

Kroger Stock Down 1.9 %

The company's fifty day simple moving average is $66.78 and its 200 day simple moving average is $62.31. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.28 billion, a PE ratio of 18.53, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.83%. Kroger's payout ratio is 34.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other Kroger news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 31,271 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.08, for a total value of $2,160,200.68. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 82,684 shares in the company, valued at $5,711,810.72. The trade was a 27.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The stock was 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 directly owns 139,338 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,486,131.04. The trade was a 45.25 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124 in the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $1,113,000. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,052,534 shares of the company's stock worth $249,717,000 after purchasing an additional 148,221 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $566,000. Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $4,210,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its position in Kroger by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,164,855 shares of the company's stock valued at $353,246,000 after buying an additional 37,222 shares in the last quarter. 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.