The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total transaction of $2,162,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 97,737 shares in the company, valued at $7,043,905.59. This represents a 23.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link.
Kroger Stock Down 0.9 %
Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $71.34 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $66.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.21. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $49.04 and a 12-month high of $73.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The company has a market capitalization of $47.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.87, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60.
Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.96 billion. Sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.
Kroger Dividend Announcement
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.79%. Kroger's payout ratio is presently 34.88%.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $66.50.
Read Our Latest Research Report on KR
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger
Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KR. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its stake in Kroger by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 18,045 shares of the company's stock worth $1,103,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.0% in the first quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 8,049 shares of the company's stock valued at $545,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC increased its stake in Kroger by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 6,704 shares of the company's stock worth $410,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,834 shares of the company's stock worth $479,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH boosted its position in Kroger by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 23,410 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,432,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.
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.
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