Brokerages Set The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) PT at $67.06

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) has received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have given a hold recommendation, nine have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $67.06.

A number of equities analysts recently commented on the company. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Melius Research cut shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target 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.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $68.91 on Friday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.44 and a 200-day simple moving average of $63.57. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $45.54 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.23, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. Kroger has a 52 week low of $49.04 and a 52 week high of $73.63.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. On average, equities analysts predict that Kroger will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total value 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 approximately $7,043,905.59. This trade represents a 23.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.37, for a total value of $719,070.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 127,106 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,308,919.22. The trade was a 7.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124 in the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Accent Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter worth $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

About Kroger

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.