Stock Traders Buy Large Volume of Kroger Call Options (NYSE:KR)

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) was the target of some unusual options trading on Friday. Investors bought 68,127 call options on the stock. This represents an increase of 442% compared to the average volume of 12,563 call options.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $71.85 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $68.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.24. Kroger has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $73.63. The company has a market cap of $47.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.58, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.17% and a net margin of 1.81%. The firm had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.43 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that Kroger will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Melius raised Kroger from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Guggenheim upped their price target on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Melius Research raised Kroger from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.11.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.44, for a total value of $2,083,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 127,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,870,057.28. This represents a 19.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 5,541 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.79, for a total value of $392,247.39. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 3,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $246,349.20. This trade represents a 61.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 111,679 shares of company stock worth $7,865,706. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Kroger

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of KR. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. 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.