The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) EVP Sells $2,749,822.40 in Stock

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total value of $2,749,822.40. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 75,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,448,791.92. This trade represents a 33.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Gabriel Arreaga also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, April 21st, Gabriel Arreaga sold 13,867 shares of Kroger stock. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.82, for a total transaction of $995,927.94.

Kroger Stock Up 0.2%

Kroger stock traded up $0.12 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $71.40. The company's stock had a trading volume of 8,981,889 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,888,300. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $49.41 and a 52-week high of $74.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.45, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $69.15 and its 200-day simple moving average is $65.64.

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 1.76% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The business had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $45.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $1.43 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. This is a boost from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Wall Street Zen raised Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 21st. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $74.00 price target (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.00.

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.