Kroger price target raised to $58 from $57 at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley raised the firm’s price target on Kroger (KR) to $58 from $57 and keeps an Equal Weight rating on the shares. Margins are being well managed within a soft consumer backdrop, but upside appears limited, the analyst tells investors. Near-term fundamentals “take a back seat” to the proposed merger with Albertsons (ACI), the analyst added.