Barlow Wealth Partners Inc. Sells 1,000 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Barlow Wealth Partners Inc. lowered its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 4.8% during the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 19,696 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,000 shares during the period. Barlow Wealth Partners Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,379,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.7% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 12,545 shares of the company’s stock valued at $850,000 after buying an additional 213 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,429 shares of the company’s stock worth $435,000 after acquiring an additional 229 shares during the period. Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $351,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $223,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 8.8% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 307,790 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,834,000 after purchasing an additional 24,849 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on KR shares. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $82.00 price objective (up from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, June 20th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $74.00 price objective (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $70.00.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $70.18 on Thursday. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $50.37 and a 52 week high of $74.11. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.38 billion, a PE ratio of 19.12, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.59. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $69.07 and its 200-day moving average is $65.82.

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.99%. This is a positive change from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.88%.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.44, for a total value of $2,083,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 127,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,870,057.28. This trade represents a 19.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 31,271 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.08, for a total value of $2,160,200.68. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 82,684 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,711,810.72. The trade was a 27.44% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 274,462 shares of company stock worth $19,733,163 over the last ninety days. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

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.