Kroger (NYSE:KR) Receives Outperform Rating from Telsey Advisory Group

Telsey Advisory Group reiterated their outperform rating on shares of Kroger (NYSE:KR) in a research report released on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a $62.00 target price on the stock.

Several other research firms also recently weighed in on KR. BNP Paribas reiterated an underperform rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Guggenheim increased their price target on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Kroger from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and increased their price target for the stock from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an outperform rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $55.17.

Kroger Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $55.91 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $40.35 billion, a PE ratio of 18.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $54.08 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $48.16. Kroger has a 1 year low of $42.10 and a 1 year high of $58.34.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $37.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.07 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 31.44% and a net margin of 1.44%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. Analysts forecast that Kroger will post 4.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other Kroger news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total value of $832,800.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 77,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,313,681.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Kroger news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total value of $832,800.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 77,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,313,681.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 3,768 shares in the company, valued at $214,889.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.38% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Sanders Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 23,786,389 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,087,276,000 after buying an additional 1,123,427 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its position in Kroger by 1.5% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 14,453,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $660,653,000 after acquiring an additional 214,852 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Kroger by 4.2% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,592,371 shares of the company’s stock worth $575,546,000 after acquiring an additional 503,839 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in Kroger by 7.0% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,833,537 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,551,000 after acquiring an additional 511,978 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $229,863,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.