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 the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total value of $224,070.87. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Kroger Stock Up 0.9 %

Shares of KR opened at $56.15 on Thursday. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $53.90 and a 200-day simple moving average of $48.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.81. 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, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 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 analyst estimates of $37.07 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.44% and a return on equity of 31.44%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.99 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Freedom Day Solutions LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the first quarter worth about $209,000. Albert D Mason Inc. acquired a new position in Kroger in the first quarter worth about $210,000. Family Legacy Inc. acquired a new position in Kroger in the first quarter worth about $205,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC raised its position in Kroger by 14.8% in the first quarter. V Square Quantitative Management LLC now owns 20,837 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,190,000 after purchasing an additional 2,693 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Demars Financial Group LLC raised its position in Kroger by 30.9% in the first quarter. Demars Financial Group LLC now owns 6,885 shares of the company’s stock worth $393,000 after purchasing an additional 1,625 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the topic of several analyst reports. BNP Paribas reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, April 8th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Guggenheim increased their price target on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.17.

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.