The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) EVP Sells $622,710.00 in Stock

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) EVP Timothy A. Massa sold 8,415 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $74.00, for a total transaction of $622,710.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 118,761 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,788,314. This trade represents a 6.62% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE:KR traded down $0.71 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $73.29. The company had a trading volume of 13,020,528 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,866,845. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $68.98 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.37. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $49.04 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 company has a market capitalization of $48.44 billion, a PE ratio of 19.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $45.35 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 1.76%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.43 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on KR shares. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. Citigroup upped their price target on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Melius upgraded Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $76.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $69.47.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $351,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $223,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 8.8% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 307,790 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,834,000 after acquiring an additional 24,849 shares during the last quarter. Coordinated Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $282,000. Finally, Mitchell Capital Management Co. bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $5,870,000. 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.