The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) SVP Gabriel Arreaga Sells 15,959 Shares

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) SVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 15,959 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.63, for a total value of $1,047,389.17. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 89,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,846,648.55. This represents a 15.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Kroger Stock Down 1.2 %

KR opened at $64.69 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $63.24 and its 200-day moving average is $59.78. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $49.04 and a one year high of $68.51. The company has a market capitalization of $46.81 billion, a PE ratio of 17.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. On average, equities analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.98%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Kroger announced that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $7.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KR. 111 Capital purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $591,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Kroger by 76.6% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 282,941 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,302,000 after purchasing an additional 122,680 shares in the last quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC raised its stake in Kroger by 2.0% during the 4th quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 22,521 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,377,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares during the period. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $62,000. Finally, Comprehensive Money Management Services LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $320,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. StockNews.com cut shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Bank of America increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.88.

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.