UBS Group Issues Positive Forecast for Kroger (NYSE:KR) Stock Price

Kroger (NYSE:KR) had its price target raised by equities researchers at UBS Group from $66.00 to $74.00 in a research note issued on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. UBS Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 0.38% from the stock’s current price.

Several other research firms have also recently weighed in on KR. Citigroup increased their price target on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday. Melius raised Kroger from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. Finally, Roth Capital set a $58.00 price objective on Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $69.21.

Kroger Stock Up 2.4%

KR stock traded up $1.75 on Monday, reaching $73.72. 2,446,107 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,823,702. Kroger has a one year low of $49.04 and a one year high of $74.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.27. The company has a market cap of $48.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.59.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.35 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.76% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.43 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Kroger will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on 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 owns 10,473 shares in the company, valued at $754,370.19. This represents a 8.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 111,679 shares of company stock worth $7,865,706. Insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Kroger

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KR. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

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.