Insider Selling: The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) VP Sells $72,030.00 in Stock

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.03, for a total value of $72,030.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,473 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $754,370.19. The trade was a 8.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Kroger Stock Down 0.9 %

Kroger stock opened at $71.34 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $49.04 and a fifty-two week high of $73.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.15 billion, a PE ratio of 18.87, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60. The company’s 50-day moving average is $66.68 and its 200-day moving average is $62.21. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.79%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently issued reports on KR. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Melius downgraded shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $58.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Kroger from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Melius Research cut Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Two 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 company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of KR. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its stake in Kroger by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 18,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,103,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC grew its position 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 during the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 6,704 shares of the company’s stock worth $410,000 after purchasing 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 purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH grew its holdings 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 in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.