Kroger's (KR) Outperform Rating Reaffirmed at Telsey Advisory Group

Key Points

• Telsey Advisory Group has reaffirmed Kroger's "outperform" rating, setting a price target of $82.00, which indicates a potential upside of 22.75% from the current price.
• Kroger's recent earnings report showed $1.04 earnings per share, surpassing estimates and marking a slight increase from the previous year's $0.93 EPS.
• Institutional investors own 80.93% of Kroger's stock, with significant recent investments from firms like Dimensional Fund Advisors and Wellington Management Group.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report)'s stock had its "outperform" rating reaffirmed by equities researchers at Telsey Advisory Group in a research note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $82.00 price target on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group's price objective suggests a potential upside of 22.75% from the stock's current price.

A number of other research firms have also recently weighed in on KR. Roth Capital upped their price target on Kroger from $58.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. restated a "neutral" rating and set a $75.00 price objective (down previously from $82.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, August 20th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 12th. Melius Research raised Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Barclays assumed coverage on Kroger in a research note on Monday, July 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and twelve have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.58.

Kroger Price Performance

Kroger stock opened at $66.80 on Thursday. Kroger has a 12-month low of $51.52 and a 12-month high of $74.90. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.16 and a beta of 0.59. The firm's 50-day moving average is $70.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $68.82. 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 (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 11th. The company reported $1.04 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.00 by $0.04. Kroger had a net margin of 1.89% and a return on equity of 34.71%. The business's revenue was up .1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.93 EPS. Kroger has set its FY 2025 guidance at 4.700-4.800 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Kroger will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other news, EVP Yael Cosset sold 71,224 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.49, for a total value of $5,234,251.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 139,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,224,222.76. This trade represents a 33.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total transaction of $2,749,822.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 75,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,448,791.92. The trade was a 33.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 198,948 shares of company stock worth $14,422,926 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Kroger by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,299,898 shares of the company's stock valued at $967,863,000 after buying an additional 186,302 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at about $518,267,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its holdings in Kroger by 85.3% in the 1st quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 6,397,771 shares of the company's stock valued at $433,065,000 after acquiring an additional 2,945,848 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 15.7% in the 4th quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 6,363,964 shares of the company's stock valued at $389,156,000 after acquiring an additional 865,699 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in Kroger by 0.6% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 5,067,209 shares of the company's stock worth $342,999,000 after buying an additional 31,477 shares during the period. 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.

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