The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Stake Increased by Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc.

Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 218.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 714 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 490 shares during the quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $36,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Creekmur Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Kroger by 255.6% in the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 448 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 101.6% during the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Finally, Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of the business’s 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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $984,975.39. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $984,975.39. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the business’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 sale, the vice president now directly owns 47,593 shares in the company, valued at $2,644,743.01. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 8,010 shares of company stock valued at $444,056. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Kroger Stock Down 0.8 %

KR stock opened at $55.62 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $54.07 and its two-hundred day moving average is $53.95. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The company has a market capitalization of $40.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.47. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $42.10 and a 52 week high of $58.34.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.30%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 43.69%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised 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. StockNews.com lowered Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Melius Research initiated coverage on Kroger in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $55.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wolfe Research upgraded Kroger to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.36.

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.