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

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

KR has been the topic of several other research reports. Argus boosted their target price on Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Kroger to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.09.

Kroger Stock Performance

KR stock traded up $0.28 during trading on Monday, reaching $56.19. 3,771,347 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,001,125. Kroger has a 1-year low of $42.10 and a 1-year high of $58.34. The firm has a market cap of $40.56 billion, a PE ratio of 19.18, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.47. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $53.46 and its 200-day moving average price is $53.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.09 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.43% and a return on equity of 29.89%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.96 earnings per share. On average, research analysts expect that Kroger will post 4.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.53, for a total transaction of $109,060.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $984,975.39. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of KR. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Kroger by 255.6% in the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 101.6% during the 1st 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. Finally, Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

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.