The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR – Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the twelve research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $60.09.
KR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Argus increased their price target on Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. BNP Paribas started coverage on Kroger in a report on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price objective on the stock. Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th.
Read Our Latest Stock Report on Kroger
Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger
Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger
Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KR. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Kroger during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in Kroger by 218.8% during the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger during the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the second quarter worth approximately $42,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.
Kroger Trading Up 0.1 %
Shares of NYSE KR opened at $58.06 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.48. Kroger has a 1-year low of $42.31 and a 1-year high of $60.35. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $56.51 and a 200 day moving average price of $54.13.
Kroger (NYSE:KR – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.54% and a net margin of 1.86%. The firm had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.96 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that Kroger will post 4.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Kroger Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.20%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 33.51%.
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.
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