The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR – Get Free Report) VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total value of $86,723.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 12,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $806,523.90. This represents a 9.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.
Kroger Stock Up 1.9 %
NYSE:KR traded up $1.23 on Monday, hitting $66.33. The stock had a trading volume of 1,555,483 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,819,866. The business’s fifty day moving average is $62.74 and its 200 day moving average is $59.52. The company has a market cap of $47.99 billion, a PE ratio of 17.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $49.04 and a 52 week high of $68.51.
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, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion for 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%. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Kroger Announces Dividend
Kroger declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of equities analysts have issued reports on KR shares. Evercore ISI upped their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Citigroup upped their target price on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. StockNews.com cut Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $54.00 to $73.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.88.
Get Our Latest Report on Kroger
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger
Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,113,000. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in Kroger by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,052,534 shares of the company’s stock valued at $249,717,000 after acquiring an additional 148,221 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Kroger by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,890,887 shares of the company’s stock valued at $280,248,000 after acquiring an additional 53,006 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at about $566,000. Finally, Avanza Fonder AB purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $4,210,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
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.
Featured Stories
- Five stocks we like better than Kroger
- What Are the FAANG Stocks and Are They Good Investments?
- Occidental Petroleum: 4 Reasons to Love These Prices
- How to Calculate Retirement Income: MarketBeat’s Calculator
- Super Micro’s International Presence Makes It a Winning Stock
- Basic Materials Stocks Investing
- Grocery Outlet Insider and Institutional Buyers Signal Bottom
Receive News & Ratings for Kroger Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Kroger and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.