The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) VP Carin L. Fike Sells 5,541 Shares of Stock

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) VP Carin L. Fike sold 5,541 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.79, for a total value of $392,247.39. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $246,349.20. The trade was a 61.42 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE:KR opened at $67.05 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $64.99 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $60.79. 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 Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $49.04 and a 52-week high of $71.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.52 billion, a PE ratio of 17.74, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion during 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%. Analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.91%. Kroger’s payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Institutional Trading of Kroger

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KR. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at $1,113,000. Nordea Investment Management AB increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 3.8% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 4,052,534 shares of the company’s stock worth $249,717,000 after purchasing an additional 148,221 shares during the last quarter. World Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the third quarter worth about $566,000. Avanza Fonder AB bought a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $4,210,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Kroger by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,164,855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $353,246,000 after buying an additional 37,222 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. StockNews.com lowered Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $66.50.

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.