The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) SVP Kenneth C. Kimball Sells 30,251 Shares

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 30,251 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.98, for a total transaction of $1,693,450.98. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 105,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,894,582.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Kroger Trading Down 0.8 %

Shares of KR opened at $55.49 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $42.10 and a 12-month high of $58.34. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $54.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $48.24. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.48.

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. Kroger had a net margin of 1.44% and a return on equity of 31.44%. The firm had revenue of $37.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $37.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.99 earnings per share. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.09%. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 39.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Caas Capital Management LP acquired a new position in Kroger in the first quarter valued at about $306,000. UMB Bank n.a. lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 21.4% during the first quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 6,126 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,000 after purchasing an additional 1,078 shares in the last quarter. Opus Capital Group LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 7.7% during the first quarter. Opus Capital Group LLC now owns 4,907 shares of the company’s stock worth $280,000 after purchasing an additional 350 shares in the last quarter. Quantum Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the first quarter worth about $225,000. Finally, SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 8.3% during the first quarter. SYSTM Wealth Solutions LLC now owns 25,371 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,449,000 after purchasing an additional 1,939 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

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.