Traders Purchase Large Volume of Call Options on Kroger (NYSE:KR)

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) was the recipient of unusually large options trading activity on Friday. Traders bought 68,127 call options on the company. This represents an increase of 442% compared to the average volume of 12,563 call options.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.03, for a total value of $72,030.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at $754,370.19. This represents a 8.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total transaction of $2,162,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 97,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,043,905.59. This trade represents a 23.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 111,679 shares of company stock worth $7,865,706. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. Melius raised shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $68.11.

Kroger Stock Performance

KR traded up $6.33 during trading on Friday, reaching $71.85. 35,151,293 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,879,010. 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 2.13, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.58. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $68.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.12.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a net margin of 1.81% and a return on equity of 28.17%. The company had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.35 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.43 EPS. Kroger's revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts predict that Kroger will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.