1834 Investment Advisors Co. Cuts Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Key Points

• 1834 Investment Advisors Co. reduced its stake in The Kroger Co. by 4.3%, holding 137,236 shares valued at approximately $9.29 million.
• Kroger recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.35 per share, up from $0.32, reflecting a 1.9% yield.
• Analyst ratings show a mix, with ten analysts rating the stock as "hold" and nine as "buy," indicating divided opinions on Kroger's future performance.

1834 Investment Advisors Co. reduced its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 4.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 137,236 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,118 shares during the period. Kroger accounts for approximately 1.2% of 1834 Investment Advisors Co.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. 1834 Investment Advisors Co.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $9,290,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter worth about $25,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position 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. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE:KR traded up $0.46 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $74.22. The company had a trading volume of 5,960,402 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,112,559. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $50.69 and a 52-week high of $74.69. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $69.94 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.85. The company has a market capitalization of $49.05 billion, a PE ratio of 20.22, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its 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. Kroger had a net margin of 1.89% and a return on equity of 34.71%. The company had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.43 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, 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 given a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. This is a boost from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kroger news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.79, for a total transaction of $1,215,690.25. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 49,360 shares in the company, valued at $3,642,274.40. This represents a 25.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.50, for a total transaction of $1,890,387.00. Following the sale, the director owned 99,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,989,581.50. The trade was a 21.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 198,948 shares of company stock valued at $14,422,926 in the last three months. 0.44% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently commented on KR. Melius Research raised Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Melius upgraded Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $74.00 target price (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $70.16.

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.