The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the ten ratings firms that are currently covering the company, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and six have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $55.90.

A number of analysts have commented on KR shares. StockNews.com lowered Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, June 12th. Guggenheim increased their price target on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. BNP Paribas reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, April 8th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Kroger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price target for the stock from $58.00 to $60.00 in a report on Tuesday.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total value of $224,070.87. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,768 shares in the company, valued at $214,889.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total value of $224,070.87. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 30,251 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.98, for a total transaction of $1,693,450.98. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 105,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,894,582.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 55,796 shares of company stock worth $3,118,767 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KR. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 255.6% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 448 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. SouthState Corp boosted its holdings in Kroger by 334.3% in the 4th quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 595 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 458 shares during the period. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC grew its position in shares of Kroger by 370.1% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $51.98 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.36. Kroger has a 1 year low of $42.10 and a 1 year high of $58.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $37.51 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $53.96 and a 200-day moving average price of $50.66.

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.