The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) VP Carin L. Fike Sells 4,492 Shares

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) VP Carin L. Fike sold 4,492 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.53, for a total transaction of $298,852.76. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 3,480 shares in the company, valued at $231,524.40. This represents a 56.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE KR opened at $64.69 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $63.24 and its 200-day moving average price is $59.78. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $49.04 and a 52-week high of $68.51. The company has a market cap of $46.81 billion, a PE ratio of 17.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51.

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

Kroger announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $7.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.98%. Kroger’s payout ratio is 34.88%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Roth Mkm upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Bank of America upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. BMO Capital Markets upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Seven research 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 company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.