The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) SVP Yael Cosset Sells 20,000 Shares

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) SVP Yael Cosset sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total transaction 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. This trade represents a 12.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website.

Kroger Stock Up 5.1 %

NYSE KR traded up $2.96 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $60.73. 10,922,443 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,680,836. 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 Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $43.51 and a fifty-two week high of $61.37. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $57.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.94 billion, a PE ratio of 15.29, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.48.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $33.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.19 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.95 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.86%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on KR shares. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Kroger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $60.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. BNP Paribas began coverage on Kroger in a report on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price target on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $65.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Kroger from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Finally, Melius Research began coverage on Kroger in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $55.00 price target for the company. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.33.

Institutional Trading of Kroger

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. State Street Corp increased its position in Kroger by 6.8% in the 3rd quarter. State Street Corp now owns 33,057,629 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,894,202,000 after purchasing an additional 2,110,681 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.8% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,019,726 shares of the company’s stock valued at $914,795,000 after buying an additional 126,303 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its holdings in Kroger by 5.6% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 13,591,402 shares of the company’s stock worth $678,562,000 after buying an additional 723,771 shares during the last quarter. Legal & General Group Plc increased its holdings in Kroger by 13.4% in the second quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 7,759,992 shares of the company’s stock worth $387,456,000 after buying an additional 917,923 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Asset Management L.P. lifted its stake in Kroger by 96.6% in the second quarter. Point72 Asset Management L.P. now owns 5,381,311 shares of the company’s stock valued at $268,689,000 after acquiring an additional 2,643,811 shares during the last quarter. 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.