Alps Advisors Inc. Boosts Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Alps Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 48.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,954 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,530 shares during the quarter. Alps Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,148,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of KR. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in Kroger by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 18,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,103,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 8,049 shares of the company’s stock valued at $545,000 after buying an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 24.1% in the 4th quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 900 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 46.7% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 550 shares of the company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 0.4% in the 4th quarter. CIBC Private Wealth Group LLC now owns 45,969 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,708,000 after buying an additional 186 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Down 0.3%

Kroger stock opened at $70.48 on Monday. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $50.69 and a fifty-two week high of $74.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.95. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $68.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $66.31. The company has a market capitalization of $46.58 billion, a PE ratio of 19.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.59.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a net margin of 1.76% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The firm had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.43 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.88%.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger news, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total value of $2,437,230.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 184,473 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,127,098.68. This trade represents a 15.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Yael Cosset sold 71,224 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.49, for a total transaction of $5,234,251.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 139,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $10,224,222.76. This represents a 33.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 244,462 shares of company stock worth $17,649,963 in the last three months. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on KR shares. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $74.00 price objective (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Melius upgraded shares of Kroger from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $70.00.

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.