Kroger Target of Unusually High Options Trading (NYSE:KR)

The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) saw some unusual options trading on Wednesday. Investors acquired 24,260 put options on the company. This represents an increase of approximately 100% compared to the typical daily volume of 12,152 put options.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, October 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price objective for the company. Melius Research assumed coverage on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $55.00 price target on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 27th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $54.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, StockNews.com lowered shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $62.64.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total value of $386,247.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $784,715.40. The trade was a 32.99 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total transaction of $167,730.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 74,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,142,036.44. This represents a 3.89 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 12,932 shares of company stock worth $721,243. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kroger

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth about $34,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 218.8% in the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE KR traded down $0.10 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $59.87. 1,647,517 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 4,628,458. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. Kroger has a fifty-two week low of $43.51 and a fifty-two week high of $61.18. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $57.58 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.49. The firm has a market cap of $43.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.93 and a beta of 0.48.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $33.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.09 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 28.54%. The firm’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.96 EPS. Analysts predict that Kroger will post 4.46 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.14%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 33.51%.

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.