Insider Selling: The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) VP Sells 4,492 Shares of Stock

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) VP Carin L. Fike sold 4,492 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.53, for a total transaction of $298,852.76. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $231,524.40. This trade represents a 56.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KR traded down $0.15 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $66.24. 2,443,260 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,821,525. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $68.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The firm has a market cap of $47.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.54, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $62.86 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.61.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Kroger announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to purchase up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Roth Capital set a $58.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $54.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Citigroup increased their target price on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, February 7th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.88.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.