Kroger (NYSE:KR) Hits New 1-Year Low at $42.57

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) reached a new 52-week low during trading on Thursday . The company traded as low as $42.57 and last traded at $42.82, with a volume of 4879363 shares. The stock had previously closed at $44.51.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on KR. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, October 5th. They set a “buy” rating for the company. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $55.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, September 20th. Finally, HSBC initiated coverage on Kroger in a research report on Friday, September 22nd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $52.00 target price on the stock. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have given a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $52.57.

Kroger Stock Down 0.5 %

The firm has a market capitalization of $30.53 billion, a PE ratio of 18.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 0.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 0.78 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $44.70 and its 200-day simple moving average is $46.51.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, September 8th. The company reported $0.96 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.05. Kroger had a return on equity of 30.61% and a net margin of 1.10%. The company had revenue of $33.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.12 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.90 earnings per share. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was down 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.52 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 15th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.73%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 51.79%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, SVP Timothy A. Massa sold 23,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.46, for a total transaction of $1,045,580.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 194,956 shares in the company, valued at $8,862,699.76. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 4,798 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Friday, September 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.52, for a total transaction of $218,404.96. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 4,156 shares in the company, valued at approximately $189,181.12. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Timothy A. Massa sold 23,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $45.46, for a total transaction of $1,045,580.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 194,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,862,699.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 33,798 shares of company stock worth $1,542,985. Corporate insiders own 1.38% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. KB Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its position in Kroger by 430.8% in the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 517 shares in the last quarter. Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $35,000. Finally, Aspire Private Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 117.1% in the fourth quarter. Aspire Private Capital LLC now owns 799 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,619,420,000 after purchasing an additional 431 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.98% 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.