Kroger Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:KR)

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) was the recipient of some unusual options trading activity on Wednesday. Stock traders bought 24,260 put options on the stock. This is an increase of approximately 100% compared to the typical daily volume of 12,152 put options.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on KR shares. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $54.00 to $73.00 in a research report on Tuesday. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Telsey Advisory Group raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 27th. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Kroger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $60.00 price target for the company. in a report on Tuesday. Finally, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, October 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price target for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $62.64.

Kroger Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE:KR opened at $59.94 on Thursday. Kroger has a 12 month low of $43.51 and a 12 month high of $61.18. The firm has a market cap of $43.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.69, a P/E/G ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The company’s 50 day moving average is $57.64 and its 200-day moving average is $54.53.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 28.54%. The company had revenue of $33.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.96 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts anticipate that Kroger will post 4.46 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of Kroger 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 74,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,142,036.44. The trade was a 3.89 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total transaction of $167,265.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 47,593 shares in the company, valued at $2,644,743.01. This represents a 5.95 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,932 shares of company stock valued at $721,243. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KR. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its holdings in Kroger by 5.7% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 123,297 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,044,000 after buying an additional 6,640 shares during the period. Cetera Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 31.7% in the 1st quarter. Cetera Advisors LLC now owns 22,146 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,265,000 after purchasing an additional 5,330 shares in the last quarter. First Hawaiian Bank boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 14.4% in the 2nd quarter. First Hawaiian Bank now owns 6,412 shares of the company’s stock valued at $320,000 after purchasing an additional 807 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 38.3% in the 2nd quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 3,902 shares of the company’s stock valued at $195,000 after purchasing an additional 1,081 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Park Avenue Securities LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 14.9% in the 2nd quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 27,746 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,385,000 after purchasing an additional 3,598 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.