Kroger’s (KR) Outperform Rating Reiterated at Telsey Advisory Group

Kroger (NYSE:KR)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reissued by equities researchers at Telsey Advisory Group in a note issued to investors on Thursday,Benzinga reports. They currently have a $65.00 price objective on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 6.96% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other research firms have also weighed in on KR. Guggenheim upped their target price on Kroger from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Melius Research assumed coverage on Kroger in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $55.00 price objective on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. StockNews.com downgraded Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the stock from $54.00 to $73.00 in a report on Tuesday. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $62.64.

Kroger Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of Kroger stock traded up $0.86 on Thursday, reaching $60.77. 3,871,745 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,643,620. Kroger has a 1-year low of $43.51 and a 1-year high of $61.37. The company has a market cap of $43.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.48. 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’s 50 day moving average price is $57.64 and its 200-day moving average price is $54.53.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.01. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.54% and a net margin of 1.86%. The business had revenue of $33.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Kroger will post 4.46 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total value of $386,247.60. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $784,715.40. This trade represents a 32.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total value of $167,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 74,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,142,036.44. The trade was a 3.89 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,932 shares of company stock worth $721,243 in the last three months. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 14.2% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,269,478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,426,000 after buying an additional 281,878 shares during the period. Tri Ri Asset Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the third quarter worth $4,037,000. Synovus Financial Corp increased its holdings in Kroger by 3.7% in the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 10,797 shares of the company’s stock valued at $619,000 after purchasing an additional 390 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in Kroger by 1.2% in the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 59,176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,391,000 after purchasing an additional 698 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth about $95,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.