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

Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) have earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the ten brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $55.90.

Several research analysts have commented on the company. BNP Paribas reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th.

Kroger Stock Up 1.8 %

KR stock opened at $51.98 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The company has a 50-day moving average of $53.96 and a two-hundred day moving average of $50.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.56, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.43. Kroger has a 52-week low of $42.10 and a 52-week high of $58.34.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other Kroger news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total transaction of $224,070.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $214,889.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total value of $224,070.87. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 30,251 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.98, for a total value of $1,693,450.98. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 105,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,894,582.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 55,796 shares of company stock worth $3,118,767 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Kroger by 255.6% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 448 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in Kroger by 101.6% during the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

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.