The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Receives $65.79 Average PT from Analysts

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen brokerages that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, eight have issued a buy recommendation and one has given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price objective among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $65.93.

A number of equities research analysts have commented on KR shares. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, October 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price objective on the stock. Roth Mkm upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Guggenheim initiated coverage on Kroger in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $68.00 price target on the stock. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Kroger from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th.

Kroger Stock Up 0.6 %

KR opened at $59.24 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $60.17 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $56.25. The company has a market capitalization of $42.87 billion, a PE ratio of 15.67, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.48. Kroger has a 1-year low of $44.48 and a 1-year high of $63.59. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its earnings results 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 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The company had revenue of $33.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.19 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.95 earnings per share. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Kroger will post 4.43 EPS for the current year.

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

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total transaction of $1,040,302.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 53,782 shares in the company, valued at $3,304,366.08. The trade was a 23.94 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Yael Cosset sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total value of $1,167,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 144,620 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,444,361.80. The trade was a 12.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 195,448 shares of company stock worth $12,143,923. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Hilltop National Bank raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 29.2% during the fourth quarter. Hilltop National Bank now owns 15,370 shares of the company’s stock valued at $940,000 after acquiring an additional 3,476 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its holdings in Kroger by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 160,746 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,211,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares during the period. Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its position in Kroger by 35.3% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 1,081 shares of the company’s stock valued at $66,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Park National Corp OH lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. Park National Corp OH now owns 14,343 shares of the company’s stock worth $877,000 after buying an additional 775 shares during the period. Finally, CWA Asset Management Group LLC grew its position in shares of Kroger by 31.6% during the 4th quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC now owns 45,892 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,806,000 after buying an additional 11,013 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

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.