The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) SVP Sells $1,047,389.17 in Stock

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) SVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 15,959 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.63, for a total value of $1,047,389.17. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 89,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,846,648.55. This represents a 15.19 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of Kroger stock traded down $0.87 on Thursday, reaching $64.61. 1,996,016 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,825,584. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $68.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.10, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $63.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced 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 return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.96 billion. Analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Kroger announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Kroger

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. 111 Capital purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $591,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 76.6% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 282,941 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,302,000 after purchasing an additional 122,680 shares in the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 22,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,377,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares in the last quarter. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $62,000. Finally, Comprehensive Money Management Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $320,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on KR. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Bank of America raised their price target on Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Kroger from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.88.

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.