Kroger (NYSE:KR) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Kroger (NYSE:KR) was downgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report released on Monday.

Several other analysts have also issued reports on the stock. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Kroger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $58.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, September 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.09.

Kroger Trading Down 2.0 %

NYSE KR opened at $55.04 on Monday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $53.53 and a 200 day moving average of $53.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The company has a market capitalization of $39.73 billion, a PE ratio of 18.78, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.47. Kroger has a 1 year low of $42.10 and a 1 year high of $58.34.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a net margin of 1.43% and a return on equity of 29.89%. The firm had revenue of $33.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.09 billion. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.96 earnings per share. Research analysts forecast that Kroger will post 4.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.53, for a total transaction of $109,060.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,063 shares in the company, valued at $984,975.39. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 255.6% during the first 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. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Kroger by 101.6% in 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 last quarter. Finally, Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in Kroger during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.