Park Avenue Securities LLC Buys 1,028 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Park Avenue Securities LLC lifted its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 4.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,148 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 1,028 shares during the period. Park Avenue Securities LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,380,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in KR. Wedmont Private Capital increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 5.0% during the first quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 5,762 shares of the company’s stock worth $319,000 after buying an additional 276 shares in the last quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 46.5% during the first quarter. Banque Cantonale Vaudoise now owns 137,425 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,852,000 after buying an additional 43,597 shares in the last quarter. Czech National Bank increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.5% during the first quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 116,456 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,653,000 after buying an additional 551 shares in the last quarter. Stolper Co increased its holdings in Kroger by 3.5% in the first quarter. Stolper Co now owns 38,207 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,183,000 after purchasing an additional 1,305 shares during the period. Finally, Alaska Permanent Fund Corp increased its holdings in Kroger by 191.3% in the first quarter. Alaska Permanent Fund Corp now owns 29,195 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,668,000 after purchasing an additional 19,172 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on KR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Kroger from $60.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 17th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised shares of Kroger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $58.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Kroger has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $57.30.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total value of $832,800.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 77,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,313,681.92. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 6,616 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.69, for a total value of $368,445.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 46,958 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,615,091.02. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total value of $832,800.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 77,696 shares in the company, valued at $4,313,681.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 55,796 shares of company stock valued at $3,118,767. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Kroger Price Performance

KR stock opened at $50.02 on Tuesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $36.10 billion, a PE ratio of 17.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.43. The company’s 50-day moving average is $53.54 and its 200-day moving average is $50.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $42.10 and a 1 year high of $58.34.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, June 20th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $45.27 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $44.86 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.43% and a return on equity of 29.89%. The business’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.51 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger 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.