The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Stolper Co

Stolper Co lessened its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 1.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 37,660 shares of the company’s stock after selling 419 shares during the period. Stolper Co’s holdings in Kroger were worth $2,158,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in 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 purchasing an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in 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 buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Kroger during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on KR. Wolfe Research upgraded Kroger to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, June 21st. Argus raised their price target on Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. Melius Research assumed coverage on Kroger in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $55.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets raised 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 note on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $59.36.

Kroger Trading Up 0.5 %

NYSE:KR opened at $55.51 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market cap of $40.16 billion, a PE ratio of 14.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.47. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $54.20 and its two-hundred day moving average is $53.93. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $42.10 and a fifty-two week high of $58.34.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued 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 company had revenue of $33.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.09 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.54% and a net margin of 1.86%. The business’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $0.96 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s payout ratio is 33.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kroger news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total transaction of $167,730.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 74,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,142,036.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In related 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 value of $109,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 18,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $984,975.39. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total transaction of $167,730.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 74,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,142,036.44. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 14,932 shares of company stock valued at $830,303 over the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by 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.