Kroger (KR) Set to Announce Quarterly Earnings on Thursday

Kroger (NYSE:KRGet Free Report) is scheduled to issue its quarterly earnings data before the market opens on Thursday, March 7th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $1.13 per share for the quarter. Parties that are interested in registering for the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

Kroger Stock Performance

Kroger stock opened at $49.47 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.08. Kroger has a 1 year low of $42.10 and a 1 year high of $50.36. The company has a market cap of $35.59 billion, a PE ratio of 19.25, a PEG ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.46. The company’s 50-day moving average is $46.61 and its two-hundred day moving average is $45.49.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, March 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, February 15th were given a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 14th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.34%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 45.14%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Kroger by 2.4% in the first quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 13,640,088 shares of the company’s stock valued at $671,872,000 after purchasing an additional 322,040 shares in the last quarter. Morgan Stanley grew its position in Kroger by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 9,922,732 shares of the company’s stock valued at $442,355,000 after acquiring an additional 535,244 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc grew its position in Kroger by 27.2% in the fourth quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 6,724,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $307,372,000 after acquiring an additional 1,438,626 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in Kroger by 82.0% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 5,667,159 shares of the company’s stock valued at $252,642,000 after acquiring an additional 2,552,989 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in Kroger by 2.7% in the first quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 4,437,037 shares of the company’s stock valued at $254,553,000 after acquiring an additional 118,720 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.98% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KR has been the subject of several research reports. TheStreet raised shares of Kroger from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 30th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, March 1st. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on shares of Kroger from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Kroger from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, December 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Kroger from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and raised their target price for the company from $42.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $53.00.

Get Our Latest Research Report on Kroger

About Kroger

(Get Free Report)

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.

See Also

Earnings History for Kroger (NYSE:KR)

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