Kwmg LLC Lowers Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Kwmg LLC reduced its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 1.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 108,994 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,113 shares during the quarter. Kwmg LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $7,378,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,164,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $353,246,000 after acquiring an additional 37,222 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC grew its holdings in Kroger by 27.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,733 shares of the company’s stock valued at $962,000 after purchasing an additional 3,373 shares during the last quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. increased its position in shares of Kroger by 4.9% in the fourth quarter. Tokio Marine Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 20,798 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,272,000 after buying an additional 971 shares in the last quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 5.7% in the 4th quarter. SYM FINANCIAL Corp now owns 4,129 shares of the company’s stock worth $252,000 after buying an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Spire Wealth Management grew its stake in Kroger by 2,482.6% in the 4th quarter. Spire Wealth Management now owns 43,103 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,636,000 after acquiring an additional 41,434 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on KR shares. Melius raised shares of Kroger from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price objective on Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.06.

Kroger Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE KR opened at $68.17 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $45.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.04, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $49.04 and a 12 month high of $73.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The company has a 50-day moving average of $69.17 and a 200-day moving average of $64.63.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total transaction of $7,839,343.92. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 139,338 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,486,131.04. This trade represents a 45.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of the company’s 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 52,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,521,599.82. This represents a 34.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.