Kroger Co (NYSE:KR) – Analysts at Jefferies Financial Group increased their Q4 2020 EPS estimates for shares of Kroger in a report issued on Thursday, December 5th, Zacks Investment Research reports. Jefferies Financial Group analyst C. Mandeville now anticipates that the company will post earnings of $0.57 per share for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $0.54. Jefferies Financial Group has a “Hold” rating and a $26.00 price objective on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group also issued estimates for Kroger’s Q2 2021 earnings at $0.51 EPS, FY2021 earnings at $2.38 EPS, FY2023 earnings at $2.59 EPS and FY2024 earnings at $2.79 EPS.
Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.48 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $27.97 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $28.18 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.31% and a return on equity of 20.32%. Kroger’s revenue for the quarter was up .5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.48 EPS.
KR has been the topic of a number of other research reports. ValuEngine upgraded Kroger from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Pivotal Research reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $30.00 price target (up previously from $26.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, September 11th. Oppenheimer reduced their price target on shares of Kroger from $28.00 to $26.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $24.00 to $27.00 in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $26.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. The stock has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $27.68.
Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $28.89 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 0.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.14. The firm has a market cap of $23.22 billion, a PE ratio of 13.69, a PEG ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 0.58. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $27.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $24.53. Kroger has a 12-month low of $20.70 and a 12-month high of $29.97.
Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Evoke Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth about $975,000. Millennium Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 91,031.4% during the 3rd quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 3,005,513 shares of the company’s stock valued at $77,482,000 after acquiring an additional 3,002,215 shares during the period. Man Group plc boosted its stake in Kroger by 586.0% during the third quarter. Man Group plc now owns 1,045,499 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,954,000 after acquiring an additional 893,093 shares in the last quarter. Worldquant Millennium Advisors LLC bought a new position in Kroger during the third quarter worth $342,000. Finally, National Pension Service grew its holdings in Kroger by 5.2% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 1,084,663 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,963,000 after purchasing an additional 53,795 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 79.09% of the company’s stock.
In other Kroger news, SVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 15,400 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $28.00, for a total value of $431,200.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 121,085 shares in the company, valued at $3,390,380. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 1.34% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Kroger Company Profile
The Kroger Co operates as a retailer in the United States. The company operates supermarkets, multi-department stores, marketplace stores, and price impact warehouse stores. 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.
