The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by EP Wealth Advisors LLC

EP Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 16.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 13,503 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,735 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $826,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total value of $1,872,355.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 52,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,521,599.82. This trade represents a 34.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total value of $2,162,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 97,737 shares in the company, valued at $7,043,905.59. This trade represents a 23.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have commented on the stock. Melius cut shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating and set a $58.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Melius Research downgraded Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $67.06.

Kroger Stock Up 0.3 %

KR stock opened at $72.00 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $49.04 and a 52 week high of $73.63. 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 firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.31 and a 200-day simple moving average of $63.45. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger’s payout ratio is 34.88%.

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.