Recent Analysts’ Ratings Changes for Kroger (KR)

A number of firms have modified their ratings and price targets on shares of Kroger (NYSE: KR) recently:

• 12/5/2024 – Kroger had its “outperform” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Telsey Advisory Group. They now have a $65.00 price target on the stock.
• 12/3/2024 – Kroger was downgraded by analysts at BMO Capital Markets from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating. They now have a $60.00 price target on the stock.
• 12/3/2024 – Kroger was upgraded by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group Inc. from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating. They now have a $73.00 price target on the stock, up previously from $54.00.
• 11/27/2024 – Kroger had its price target raised by analysts at Telsey Advisory Group from $62.00 to $65.00. They now have an “outperform” rating on the stock.
• 11/25/2024 – Kroger had its price target raised by analysts at Guggenheim from $61.00 to $63.00. They now have a “buy” rating on the stock.
• 10/18/2024 – Kroger is now covered by analysts at BNP Paribas. They set a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price target on the stock.
• 10/9/2024 – Kroger had its “outperform” rating reaffirmed by analysts at Telsey Advisory Group. They now have a $62.00 price target on the stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE KR opened at $60.75 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $43.51 and a twelve month high of $61.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The stock has a market cap of $43.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.90, a PEG ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.48. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $57.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.57.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $33.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.19 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.54% and a net margin of 1.86%. The company’s revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.95 EPS. As a group, research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.51%.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total value of $167,730.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 74,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,142,036.44. The trade was a 3.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total value of $386,247.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $784,715.40. This trade represents a 32.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,932 shares of company stock valued at $721,243. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kroger

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 14.2% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 2,269,478 shares of the company’s stock valued at $125,426,000 after purchasing an additional 281,878 shares during the last quarter. Tri Ri Asset Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at $4,037,000. Synovus Financial Corp raised its position in shares of Kroger by 3.7% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 10,797 shares of the company’s stock worth $619,000 after acquiring an additional 390 shares during the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.2% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 59,176 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,391,000 after acquiring an additional 698 shares during the period. Finally, Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Kroger in the third quarter valued at about $95,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

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.