The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) VP Carin L. Fike Sells 3,929 Shares

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total transaction of $224,070.87. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 3,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $214,889.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link.

Kroger Price Performance

KR opened at $56.15 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $42.10 and a 52-week high of $58.34. The company has a 50 day moving average of $53.90 and a two-hundred day moving average of $48.11. The company has a market cap of $40.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.48.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on KR shares. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $58.00 to $65.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. BNP Paribas reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, April 8th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.17.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the third quarter valued at $25,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. SouthState Corp boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 334.3% in the fourth quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 595 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 458 shares during the period. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 370.1% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the period. Finally, Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.