The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) VP Carin L. Fike Sells 4,492 Shares

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) VP Carin L. Fike sold 4,492 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.53, for a total value of $298,852.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $231,524.40. This trade represents a 56.35 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website.

Kroger Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE:KR opened at $65.94 on Wednesday. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $49.04 and a one year high of $68.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The company has a market cap of $47.71 billion, a PE ratio of 17.44, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $62.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $59.70.

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

Kroger declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to purchase up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.94%. Kroger’s payout ratio is 34.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently commented on KR. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup lifted their price target on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Roth Capital set a $58.00 target price on Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.88.

Institutional Trading of Kroger

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $598,390,000. Steadfast Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $277,989,000. Junto Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at $264,207,000. Wellington Management Group LLP lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 11,570.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,729,788 shares of the company’s stock valued at $156,417,000 after acquiring an additional 2,706,398 shares during the period. Finally, State Street Corp boosted its stake in Kroger by 6.8% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 33,057,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,894,202,000 after acquiring an additional 2,110,681 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently 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.