StockNews.com Downgrades Kroger (NYSE:KR) to Buy

Kroger (NYSE:KR) was downgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday.

A number of other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on KR. Wells Fargo & Company raised Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $58.00 to $65.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Kroger from $60.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 21st. BNP Paribas reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, April 8th. Wolfe Research raised shares of Kroger to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 21st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 17th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $57.30.

Kroger Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of KR stock opened at $52.76 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a quick ratio of 0.45 and a current ratio of 0.86. Kroger has a fifty-two week low of $42.10 and a fifty-two week high of $58.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.08 billion, a PE ratio of 18.01, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.45. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $52.32 and its 200-day simple moving average is $51.31.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 20th. The company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $45.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $44.86 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.43% and a return on equity of 29.89%. The firm’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.51 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Kroger will post 4.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total value of $832,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 77,696 shares in the company, valued at $4,313,681.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total value of $224,070.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total transaction of $832,800.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 77,696 shares in the company, valued at $4,313,681.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 55,796 shares of company stock worth $3,118,767 in the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kroger

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Kroger by 255.6% during the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 448 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 101.6% during the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at about $29,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.