The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) SVP Timothy A. Massa Sells 25,889 Shares

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) SVP Timothy A. Massa sold 25,889 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.12, for a total value of $1,556,446.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 115,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,965,563.32. This represents a 18.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Kroger Trading Up 5.1 %

Shares of KR opened at $60.74 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $57.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.65. The stock has a market cap of $43.94 billion, a PE ratio of 16.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.48. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $43.51 and a 12 month high of $61.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.01. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The business had revenue of $33.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.19 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.86%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Kroger in a research report on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price objective for the company. Jefferies Financial Group raised Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $54.00 to $73.00 in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Kroger from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. BMO Capital Markets downgraded Kroger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $60.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Roth Mkm boosted their price target on Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $63.33.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the second quarter worth about $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new stake in Kroger in the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in Kroger in the third quarter valued at about $40,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Kroger by 218.8% in the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 490 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in Kroger in the third quarter valued at about $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

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.