The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the eighteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $67.06.

Several equities analysts have issued reports on KR shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total value of $2,162,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 97,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,043,905.59. This represents a 23.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total transaction of $7,839,343.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 139,338 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,486,131.04. This represents a 45.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth about $598,390,000. Steadfast Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $277,989,000. Junto Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $264,207,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the first quarter valued at approximately $178,385,000. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $123,829,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of Kroger stock traded down $1.54 during trading on Friday, reaching $67.50. The company's stock had a trading volume of 9,421,889 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,671,591. The business's fifty day moving average price is $68.44 and its 200-day moving average price is $63.57. Kroger has a one year low of $49.04 and a one year high of $73.63. The firm has a market cap of $44.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Kroger will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.90%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

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.