The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Receives $60.09 Consensus PT from Analysts

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $60.09.

KR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Argus increased their price target on Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. BNP Paribas started coverage on Kroger in a report on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI increased 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. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total value of $167,265.70. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 47,593 shares in the company, valued at $2,644,743.01. This trade represents a 5.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total value of $167,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 74,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,142,036.44. This trade represents a 3.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 12,932 shares of company stock valued at $721,243. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KR. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Kroger during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in Kroger by 218.8% during the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger during the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the second quarter worth approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $58.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.48. Kroger has a 1-year low of $42.31 and a 1-year high of $60.35. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $56.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $54.13.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.54% and a net margin of 1.86%. The firm had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.96 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Kroger will post 4.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 33.51%.

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.