5,141 Shares in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Purchased by Calton & Associates Inc.

Calton & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 5,141 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $348,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position in shares of Kroger by 27.3% in the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,733 shares of the company's stock worth $962,000 after purchasing an additional 3,373 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth about $223,000. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 312,136 shares of the company's stock valued at $19,087,000 after purchasing an additional 2,393 shares in the last quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 335.4% during the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 4,667 shares of the company's stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 3,595 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Up 0.1%

KR traded up $0.07 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $72.68. The stock had a trading volume of 1,724,515 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,933,613. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $50.69 and a one year high of $74.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The stock's 50 day moving average is $68.86 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.67. The company has a market capitalization of $48.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.77, a P/E/G ratio of 2.30 and a beta of 0.59.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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. The business had revenue of $45.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $45.35 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 1.76%. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.43 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This is a boost from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is currently 38.15%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total value of $2,437,230.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 184,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,127,098.68. The trade was a 15.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.50, for a total value of $1,890,387.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 99,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,989,581.50. This represents a 21.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 198,948 shares of company stock worth $14,422,926. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently issued reports on KR. Evercore ISI lowered 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 raised Kroger from a "buy" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Melius Research upgraded Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Melius upgraded Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and set a $74.00 price objective (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.