Insider Selling: The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) VP Sells 1,300 Shares of Stock

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total value of $86,723.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 12,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $806,523.90. This trade represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Kroger Stock Performance

Kroger stock opened at $65.94 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $62.99 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $59.70. 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 stock has a market cap of $47.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.44, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $49.04 and a fifty-two week high of $68.51.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.94%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Kroger declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on KR shares. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, March 3rd. UBS Group lifted their price objective on Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price objective on Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, StockNews.com downgraded Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Seven 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 stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.88.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.