Arkadios Wealth Advisors Buys 9,147 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Key Points

• Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its stake in The Kroger Co. by 203.9%, bringing its holdings to 13,633 shares valued at approximately $923,000.
• Kroger recently declared a quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, an increase from the previous dividend of $0.32, reflecting a yield of 2.0%.
• Recent analyst ratings indicate mixed sentiments, with some firms raising price targets while others have maintained "hold" ratings, leading to a consensus target price of $70.16.

Arkadios Wealth Advisors increased its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 203.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 13,633 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 9,147 shares during the period. Arkadios Wealth Advisors' holdings in Kroger were worth $923,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Steadfast Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth $277,989,000. Junto Capital Management LP bought a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $264,207,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. purchased a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $123,829,000. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 1,981,259 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 7,363.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,706,397 shares of the company's stock valued at $115,506,000 after purchasing an additional 1,683,535 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Melius raised shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective 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. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $82.00 price target (up previously from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, June 20th. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $70.16.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other Kroger news, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total transaction of $2,437,230.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 184,473 shares in the company, valued at $13,127,098.68. This trade represents a 15.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Friday, July 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.50, for a total transaction of $1,890,387.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 99,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 have sold a total of 198,948 shares of company stock worth $14,422,926 over the last three months. 0.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Kroger Price Performance

KR stock opened at $71.42 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.95. The company's fifty day moving average price is $69.42 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.42. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $50.69 and a one year high of $74.11. The company has a market capitalization of $47.20 billion, a PE ratio of 19.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.59.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 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 business had revenue of $45.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $45.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $1.43 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. This is a boost from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.88%.

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.

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