Carin L. Fike Sells 3,929 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Stock

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of Kroger 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,768 shares in the company, valued at $214,889.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Kroger Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $55.91 on Friday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $54.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.16. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.35 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.89, a PEG ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.48. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $42.10 and a 12-month high of $58.34. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $37.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $37.07 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 31.44% and a net margin of 1.44%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.99 earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on KR shares. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, BNP Paribas restated an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, April 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.17.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Lindbrook Capital LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 6.2% in the first quarter. Lindbrook Capital LLC now owns 4,434 shares of the company’s stock worth $253,000 after purchasing an additional 259 shares during the last quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.5% in the first quarter. Horrell Capital Management Inc. now owns 58,742 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,356,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the last quarter. W Advisors LLC increased its position in Kroger by 0.6% during the first quarter. W Advisors LLC now owns 32,876 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,878,000 after acquiring an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank increased its position in Kroger by 6.8% during the first quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 234,520 shares of the company’s stock valued at $13,398,000 after acquiring an additional 14,891 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in Kroger by 5.2% during the first quarter. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 38,180 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,181,000 after acquiring an additional 1,870 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

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.