Ritholtz Wealth Management Purchases 4,596 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Ritholtz Wealth Management increased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 19.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 28,785 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 4,596 shares during the period. Ritholtz Wealth Management’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,316,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KR. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its holdings in Kroger by 370.1% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 496 shares during the last quarter. KB Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the first quarter valued at $28,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 430.8% during the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 517 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Trading Up 0.4 %

Shares of KR stock opened at $57.11 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The business has a 50-day moving average of $49.74 and a 200 day moving average of $46.55. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.09 billion, a PE ratio of 19.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.65 and a beta of 0.46. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $42.10 and a 1-year high of $57.36.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.21. Kroger had a net margin of 1.44% and a return on equity of 31.44%. The firm had revenue of $37.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $37.07 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.99 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.03%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.19%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KR has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on Kroger from $48.00 to $46.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, December 1st. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Kroger from an “underweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $42.00 to $50.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, TheStreet raised Kroger from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 30th. Four equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $54.64.

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.