The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Bought by NewEdge Advisors LLC

NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 86.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 69,655 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 32,256 shares during the quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $4,259,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $71.30 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $66.15 and a 200-day simple moving average of $61.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $49.04 and a one year high of $71.93. The company has a market cap of $47.12 billion, a PE ratio of 18.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 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 1.80%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on KR shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Melius downgraded Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $58.00 price objective on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on Kroger from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Citigroup lifted their target price on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.50.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total value of $86,723.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,523.90. This represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 4,492 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.53, for a total transaction of $298,852.76. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $231,524.40. This trade represents a 56.35 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 290,056 shares of company stock valued at $19,637,066. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.