Advisor OS LLC Takes Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Advisor OS LLC purchased a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 15,910 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,077,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $598,390,000. Steadfast Capital Management LP purchased a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $277,989,000. Junto Capital Management LP bought a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $264,207,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. purchased a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $123,829,000. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its position in Kroger by 39.1% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,054,824 shares of the company's stock valued at $431,402,000 after acquiring an additional 1,981,259 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR stock traded down $0.92 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $71.47. 3,396,261 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,760,720. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $69.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.99. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $50.69 and a fifty-two week high of $74.11. The firm has a market cap of $47.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.31 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $45.12 billion during 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 company's revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $1.43 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is a boost from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is currently 38.15%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on KR. Evercore ISI cut their target price on Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Melius Research raised shares of Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Barclays assumed coverage on Kroger in a report on Monday, July 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Kroger from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.16.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.79, for a total value 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 document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total value of $2,749,822.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 75,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,448,791.92. The trade was a 33.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 198,948 shares of company stock worth $14,422,926. 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.