Wealth Advisory Solutions LLC Increases Stock Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Wealth Advisory Solutions LLC raised its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 7.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,037 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 273 shares during the quarter. Wealth Advisory Solutions LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $247,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Adirondack Trust Co. lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 1,628.1% in the 4th quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 553 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 521 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, McClarren Financial Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at about $39,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $63.23 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $62.15 and a 200 day moving average of $58.79. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $66.26. The firm has a market cap of $45.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.73, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.47.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.02%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.86%.

Kroger announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $7.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to reacquire up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have commented on KR shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the stock from $54.00 to $73.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Kroger from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, February 7th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $67.19.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total transaction 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 approximately $8,444,361.80. This represents a 12.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total value of $1,040,302.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 53,782 shares in the company, valued at $3,304,366.08. The trade was a 23.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 195,448 shares of company stock valued at $12,143,923 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Company 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.