Kroger (NYSE:KR) had its price target hoisted by equities research analysts at Morgan Stanley from $28.00 to $29.00 in a report released on Tuesday. The firm currently has an “equal weight” rating on the stock. Morgan Stanley’s price target points to a potential upside of 0.83% from the company’s current price.
A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on KR. ValuEngine downgraded Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Friday. BMO Capital Markets set a $31.00 target price on Kroger and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 24th. Citigroup raised their target price on Kroger from $30.00 to $33.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 26th. Stephens set a $29.00 target price on Kroger and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 16th. Finally, Zacks Investment Research downgraded Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 3rd. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eleven have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $29.52.
Kroger (KR) traded up $0.29 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $28.76. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,930,093 shares, compared to its average volume of 10,125,264. Kroger has a 12-month low of $19.69 and a 12-month high of $34.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.11, a quick ratio of 0.31 and a current ratio of 0.85. The company has a market cap of $25,859.16, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.12, a PEG ratio of 4.89 and a beta of 0.95.
In related news, VP Michael Joseph Donnelly sold 40,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $30.64, for a total transaction of $1,225,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 319,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,777,959.36. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 1,538 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.61, for a total value of $39,388.18. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 25,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $664,733.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 117,868 shares of company stock worth $3,403,416. 0.87% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.
A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in KR. Howe & Rusling Inc. bought a new position in Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth $103,000. Mountain Capital Investment Advisors Inc bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth about $128,000. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Kroger by 97.2% in the 4th quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 4,980 shares of the company’s stock worth $136,000 after acquiring an additional 2,455 shares in the last quarter. Archford Capital Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of Kroger by 38,135.3% in the 2nd quarter. Archford Capital Strategies LLC now owns 13,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $139,000 after acquiring an additional 12,966 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balentine LLC raised its position in shares of Kroger by 1,263.2% in the 2nd quarter. Balentine LLC now owns 6,380 shares of the company’s stock worth $149,000 after acquiring an additional 5,912 shares in the last quarter. 79.59% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
About Kroger
The Kroger Co (Kroger) manufactures and processes food for sale in its supermarkets. The Company operates supermarkets, multi-department stores, jewelry stores and convenience stores throughout the United States. As of January 28, 2017, it had operated approximately 4,000 owned or leased supermarkets, convenience stores, fine jewelry stores, distribution warehouses and food production plants through divisions, subsidiaries or affiliates.
