Mendel Capital Management LLC Acquires 181 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Mendel Capital Management LLC lifted its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 0.6% in the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 31,559 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 181 shares during the quarter. Kroger accounts for 1.1% of Mendel Capital Management LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Mendel Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,808,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Aviso Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the third quarter valued at $221,000. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.9% in the third quarter. J. W. Coons Advisors LLC now owns 40,299 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,309,000 after purchasing an additional 360 shares in the last quarter. Islay Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the third quarter valued at $1,338,000. Phillips Financial Management LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the third quarter worth $201,000. Finally, Swiss National Bank raised its stake in Kroger by 0.3% during the third quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 2,035,200 shares of the company’s stock worth $116,617,000 after acquiring an additional 5,200 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total transaction of $386,247.60. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares in the company, valued at $784,715.40. The trade was a 32.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 17th. The shares were 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 $2,644,743.01. This trade represents a 5.95 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,932 shares of company stock worth $721,243. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Kroger stock opened at $58.02 on Monday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $56.39 and its 200 day simple moving average is $54.11. The stock has a market cap of $41.98 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.19, a P/E/G ratio of 0.90 and a beta of 0.48. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $42.10 and a 12-month high of $60.35. The company has a quick ratio of 0.46, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on KR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Argus increased their price objective on Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, September 16th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.09.

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.