Arkadios Wealth Advisors Has $923,000 Position in 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 raised its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 203.9% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm 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 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in KR. Steadfast Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $277,989,000. Junto Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $264,207,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $123,829,000. FMR LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 39.1% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,054,824 shares of the company's stock worth $431,402,000 after acquiring an additional 1,981,259 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 7,363.9% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,706,397 shares of the company's stock worth $115,506,000 after buying an additional 1,683,535 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 184,473 shares in the company, valued at $13,127,098.68. This represents a 15.66% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy A. Massa sold 8,415 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.00, for a total value of $622,710.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 118,761 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,788,314. The trade was a 6.62% decrease in their position. 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 quarter. 0.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on KR shares. Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, August 2nd. Barclays began coverage on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, July 21st. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 price target on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $82.00 price target (up from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, June 20th. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $70.16.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE:KR traded up $0.04 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $73.77. The stock had a trading volume of 3,031,837 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,079,983. The stock has a market cap of $48.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.10, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.59. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $50.69 and a 12-month high of $74.25. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.68 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.64. 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 posted its 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 1.89% and a return on equity of 34.71%. The firm had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.43 EPS. The company's revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders 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 38.15%.

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.