CWA Asset Management Group LLC Cuts Stock Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

CWA Asset Management Group LLC lowered its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 92.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,388 shares of the company's stock after selling 42,504 shares during the period. CWA Asset Management Group LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $229,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in KR. Brighton Jones LLC grew its stake 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 buying an additional 3,373 shares during the last quarter. Principal Securities Inc. grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 20.9% in the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 7,415 shares of the company's stock worth $453,000 after buying an additional 1,280 shares during the last quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.4% in the 4th quarter. Atria Wealth Solutions Inc. now owns 18,691 shares of the company's stock worth $1,143,000 after buying an additional 257 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $44,000. Finally, Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 13.1% during the 4th quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 20,296 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,241,000 after purchasing an additional 2,345 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

KR stock opened at $71.85 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $47.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.58. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $49.04 and a 1 year high of $73.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $68.89 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.24.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released 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 return on equity of 28.17% and a net margin of 1.81%. The firm had revenue of $45.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.35 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.43 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have commented on KR shares. Melius upgraded Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Guggenheim increased their target price on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kroger news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total transaction of $2,162,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 97,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,043,905.59. This trade represents a 23.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 31,271 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.08, for a total value of $2,160,200.68. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 82,684 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,711,810.72. This represents a 27.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 111,679 shares of company stock valued at $7,865,706. 0.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Kroger 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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