Kroger (NYSE:KR) Reaches New 52-Week High – Time to Buy?

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)’s share price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $61.25 and last traded at $61.25, with a volume of 2058 shares. The stock had previously closed at $61.08.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on KR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Telsey Advisory Group upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Kroger from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, November 25th. Melius Research started coverage on Kroger in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $55.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, BNP Paribas started coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 target price for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $61.60.

Kroger Stock Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.87. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $57.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $54.41. The stock has a market cap of $44.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 0.48.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.54% and a net margin of 1.86%. The firm had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.09 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.96 earnings per share. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.09%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 33.51%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total transaction of $167,265.70. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 47,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,644,743.01. This trade represents a 5.95 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total transaction of $386,247.60. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $784,715.40. This trade represents a 32.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,932 shares of company stock worth $721,243 over the last three months. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in Kroger during the second quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. increased its holdings in Kroger by 218.8% during the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 3rd 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.