The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) has been assigned an average recommendation of “Hold” from the eighteen analysts that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and eight have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $70.16.

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group reaffirmed a “neutral” rating and set a $74.00 price target (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Melius raised shares of Kroger from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Barclays began coverage on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, July 21st. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $69.29 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $45.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.88, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. Kroger has a 1-year low of $50.69 and a 1-year high of $74.11. The business’s 50 day moving average is $69.32 and its 200-day moving average is $67.21.

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.02%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.88%.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.50, for a total transaction of $1,890,387.00. Following the sale, the director owned 99,143 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,989,581.50. The trade was a 21.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.79, for a total transaction of $1,215,690.25. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 49,360 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,642,274.40. This represents a 25.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 198,948 shares of company stock valued at $14,422,926. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. IFC Advisors LLC lifted its position in Kroger by 1.7% during the first quarter. IFC Advisors LLC now owns 8,642 shares of the company’s stock valued at $585,000 after purchasing an additional 142 shares during the last quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.9% in the 2nd quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 8,025 shares of the company’s stock worth $576,000 after acquiring an additional 146 shares during the last quarter. PDS Planning Inc lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. PDS Planning Inc now owns 7,715 shares of the company’s stock worth $553,000 after acquiring an additional 152 shares during the last quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 18,045 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,103,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 8,049 shares of the company’s stock worth $545,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. 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.