The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Acquired by Buck Wealth Strategies LLC

Buck Wealth Strategies LLC raised its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 31.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 153,022 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 36,502 shares during the period. Kroger makes up about 1.9% of Buck Wealth Strategies LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Buck Wealth Strategies LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $9,357,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of KR. Nexus Investment Management ULC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. Nexus Investment Management ULC now owns 48,115 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,942,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. raised its stake in Kroger by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. now owns 4,539 shares of the company’s stock valued at $278,000 after buying an additional 176 shares in the last quarter. Mendel Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Mendel Capital Management LLC now owns 31,559 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,808,000 after buying an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Cooper Financial Group grew its position in shares of Kroger by 3.7% in the 4th quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 5,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $328,000 after acquiring an additional 190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, City Center Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 3.5% in the 4th quarter. City Center Advisors LLC now owns 5,748 shares of the company’s stock valued at $351,000 after acquiring an additional 195 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kroger news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total value of $1,167,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 144,620 shares in the company, valued at $8,444,361.80. This represents a 12.15 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total transaction of $1,040,302.08. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 53,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,304,366.08. This represents a 23.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 195,448 shares of company stock worth $12,143,923. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have weighed in on KR shares. Roth Mkm increased their target price on shares of Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $54.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Guggenheim started coverage on Kroger in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $68.00 price target on the stock. Finally, UBS Group boosted their price objective on Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $66.06.

Kroger Stock Up 2.2 %

Kroger stock opened at $65.37 on Thursday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $60.56 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $57.25. The stock has a market cap of $47.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.29, a PEG ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.47. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $44.48 and a 52 week high of $65.64. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.01. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The business had revenue of $33.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.19 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to purchase up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 33.86%.

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.