Northwest Investment Counselors LLC Takes $34,000 Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 600 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $34,000.

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Park Avenue Securities LLC increased its position in Kroger by 4.4% during the first quarter. Park Avenue Securities LLC now owns 24,148 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,380,000 after acquiring an additional 1,028 shares during the period. Global Assets Advisory LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the first quarter worth approximately $1,081,000. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 49.7% in the first quarter. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC now owns 13,990 shares of the company’s stock valued at $799,000 after buying an additional 4,642 shares during the period. Riverview Trust Co acquired a new stake in Kroger during the first quarter worth approximately $53,000. Finally, Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in Kroger by 65.3% during the 1st quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,722 shares of the company’s stock worth $613,000 after acquiring an additional 4,235 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several analysts have recently issued reports on KR shares. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Melius Research started coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $55.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Kroger in a research note on Friday, October 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 target price for the company. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.09.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total value of $386,247.60. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $784,715.40. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total transaction of $386,247.60. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $784,715.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the vice president now owns 47,593 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,644,743.01. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 12,932 shares of company stock valued at $721,243 in the last ninety days. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE KR opened at $56.43 on Wednesday. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $54.58 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $53.83. The stock has a market cap of $40.73 billion, a PE ratio of 19.26, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.87. 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 quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. The business 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%. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.96 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.27%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.69%.

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.