Insider Selling: The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) SVP Sells 15,959 Shares of Stock

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) SVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 15,959 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 89,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,846,648.55. This represents a 15.19 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

Kroger Trading Up 1.0 %

Shares of KR opened at $65.38 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $63.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $59.91. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.31 billion, a PE ratio of 17.30, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $49.04 and a 12-month high of $68.51.

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

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger’s payout ratio is 34.88%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $73.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Kroger from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus 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.