The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) VP Carin L. Fike Sells 3,010 Shares

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total transaction of $167,265.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 47,593 shares in the company, valued at $2,644,743.01. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Kroger Price Performance

Kroger stock traded down $0.01 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $55.03. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,479,692 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,969,225. The stock has a market cap of $39.72 billion, a PE ratio of 18.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $53.53 and a 200-day moving average price of $53.78. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $42.10 and a 52 week high of $58.34.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a return on equity of 29.89% and a net margin of 1.43%. The company had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.09 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.96 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.33%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. This is an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have commented on the company. StockNews.com cut Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Kroger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $58.00 to $60.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.09.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Creekmur Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in Kroger by 255.6% in the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 448 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its position in Kroger by 101.6% in the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the second quarter worth about $28,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other 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.