Kroger’s (KR) Outperform Rating Reaffirmed at Telsey Advisory Group

Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed their outperform rating on shares of Kroger (NYSE:KR) in a report published on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. Telsey Advisory Group currently has a $62.00 price objective on the stock.

Several other analysts also recently commented on the stock. BNP Paribas restated an underperform rating and set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Kroger from an equal weight rating to an overweight rating and lifted their price target for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an outperform rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and an average price target of $55.17.

Kroger Stock Down 2.3 %

Shares of KR stock opened at $55.62 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $40.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.79, a PEG ratio of 2.64 and a beta of 0.48. Kroger has a one year low of $42.10 and a one year high of $58.34. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $53.69 and its 200-day moving average price is $48.05. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.36.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $37.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.07 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.44% and a return on equity of 31.44%. The company’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.99 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that Kroger will post 4.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. Kroger’s payout ratio is 39.19%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in Kroger by 93.9% during the 1st quarter. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 15,608 shares of the company’s stock worth $892,000 after acquiring an additional 7,559 shares in the last quarter. Tyche Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the first quarter valued at about $262,000. Wesbanco Bank Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the first quarter valued at about $270,000. Summit Trail Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 60.2% during the first quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 7,080 shares of the company’s stock valued at $405,000 after buying an additional 2,661 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sutton Place Investors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the first quarter valued at about $247,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

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.