The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Bought by Alaethes Wealth LLC

Alaethes Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 1.1% during the second quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 31,854 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 352 shares during the period. Alaethes Wealth LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,590,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in Kroger by 255.6% in the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings in Kroger by 101.6% in the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the first quarter worth $29,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Up 1.0 %

NYSE KR opened at $55.39 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $42.10 and a 52 week high of $58.34. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $53.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $53.84. The firm has a market cap of $39.98 billion, a PE ratio of 18.90, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.47.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a net margin of 1.43% and a return on equity of 29.89%. The company had revenue of $33.91 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.09 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.96 earnings per share. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.69%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on KR. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Kroger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $58.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. StockNews.com downgraded Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $59.09.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total transaction of $167,265.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 47,593 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,644,743.01. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.53, for a total value of $109,060.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 18,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $984,975.39. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total value of $167,265.70. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 47,593 shares in the company, valued at $2,644,743.01. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 1.40% 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.