Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC Buys 8,149 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 26,287.1% during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 8,180 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 8,149 shares during the quarter. Frank Rimerman Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $408,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 255.6% during the first 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 last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC increased its stake 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 during the last quarter. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the first quarter worth $29,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the 1st quarter worth $34,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.53, for a total transaction 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.53, for a total transaction 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total value of $167,265.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 47,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,644,743.01. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 8,010 shares of company stock worth $444,056. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Down 0.1 %

NYSE KR opened at $56.07 on Wednesday. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $42.10 and a 1 year high of $58.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The company has a market capitalization of $40.47 billion, a PE ratio of 19.14, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a fifty day moving average of $53.79 and a 200 day moving average of $53.89.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 43.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Kroger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the company from $58.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Argus increased their price objective on Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $55.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, September 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.36.

About Kroger

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.