The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 31,271 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.08, for a total value of $2,160,200.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 82,684 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,711,810.72. This trade represents a 27.44 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.
Kroger Trading Up 3.3 %
NYSE:KR opened at $71.30 on Friday. The company's 50 day moving average is $66.02 and its 200-day moving average is $61.66. 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 12 month low of $49.04 and a 12 month high of $71.93. The firm has a market cap of $47.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60.
Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The firm had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.96 billion. Equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.
Kroger Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.88%.
Institutional Inflows and Outflows
Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of brokerages have commented on KR. Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Melius Research downgraded shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $66.50.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Report on KR
About Kroger
(
Get Free Report)
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.
Further Reading
This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from InsiderTrades.com in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by InsiderTrades.com's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@insidertrades.com.
