Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL Buys Shares of 831 The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL purchased a new stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 831 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $44,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 255.6% in the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 101.6% during 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, Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at about $28,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $56.09 on Thursday. The business has a 50-day moving average of $54.02 and a two-hundred day moving average of $53.94. The company has a market capitalization of $40.49 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.14, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.47. 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 0.96, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.46.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.09 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.54% and a net margin of 1.86%. The firm’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.96 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.28%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 43.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have issued reports on the stock. Melius Research started coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $55.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Argus raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, September 9th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $59.36.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.53, for a total transaction of $109,060.00. Following the transaction, 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 is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $2,644,743.01. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.53, for a total value of $109,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,063 shares in the company, valued at $984,975.39. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 8,010 shares of company stock worth $444,056 in the last ninety days. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.