Yael Cosset Sells 115,149 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Stock

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total transaction of $7,839,343.92. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 139,338 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,486,131.04. This trade represents a 45.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE KR opened at $65.01 on Thursday. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $49.04 and a 52 week high of $68.51. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The stock has a market cap of $47.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $62.58 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $59.29.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. Analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger declared that its board has approved 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 reacquire up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Roth Capital set a $58.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of 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 objective on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $54.00 to $73.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.88.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $62,000. Comprehensive Money Management Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $320,000. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 8.7% during the 4th quarter. Dogwood Wealth Management LLC now owns 10,011 shares of the company’s stock valued at $612,000 after buying an additional 804 shares during the period. Park Square Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $120,000. Finally, Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $49,760,000. 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.