The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) SVP Yael Cosset Sells 17,685 Shares

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) SVP Yael Cosset sold 17,685 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.19, for a total transaction of $1,170,570.15. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 139,124 shares in the company, valued at $9,208,617.56. This represents a 11.28 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website.

Yael Cosset also recently made the following trade(s):

• On Monday, March 10th, Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of Kroger stock. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total transaction of $7,839,343.92.

Kroger Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE KR traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $66.24. 2,443,260 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,821,525. The stock has a market cap of $47.93 billion, a PE ratio of 17.54, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $49.04 and a 52 week high of $68.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $62.86 and a 200 day moving average price of $59.61. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share 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 return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. Analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. 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 1.93%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Kroger announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits 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 board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on KR. Bank of America raised their price target on Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, December 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $54.00 to $73.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.88.

Institutional Trading of Kroger

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. 111 Capital purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $591,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Kroger by 76.6% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 282,941 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,302,000 after purchasing an additional 122,680 shares during the period. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 2.0% during the fourth quarter. NorthCrest Asset Manangement LLC now owns 22,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,377,000 after purchasing an additional 432 shares during the last quarter. Wood Tarver Financial Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at $62,000. Finally, Comprehensive Money Management Services LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $320,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

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.