3,719 Shares in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Bought by 1858 Wealth Management LLC

1858 Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 3,719 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $252,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the first quarter worth about $31,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the topic of several research reports. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. 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 research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price objective on shares of Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $68.11.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 5,541 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.79, for a total transaction of $392,247.39. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 3,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $246,349.20. The trade was a 61.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.03, for a total transaction of $72,030.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 10,473 shares in the company, valued at $754,370.19. This represents a 8.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 111,679 shares of company stock valued at $7,865,706 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Trading Up 9.7%

NYSE KR opened at $71.85 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $49.04 and a one year high of $73.63. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.96. The firm has a market cap of $47.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.58, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a net margin of 1.81% and a return on equity of 28.17%. The company had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.43 earnings per share. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.

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