The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by CWA Asset Management Group LLC

CWA Asset Management Group LLC lowered its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 92.6% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 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 and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KR. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Down 1.6%

Kroger stock traded down $1.21 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $72.21. The company had a trading volume of 5,473,177 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,870,234. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $49.04 and a 1 year high of $74.11. The business has a fifty day moving average of $69.09 and a 200 day moving average of $65.43. The stock has a market cap of $47.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.68, a PEG ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a net margin of 1.76% and a return on equity of 30.01%. 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 firm posted $1.43 EPS. The company's revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.44, for a total value of $2,083,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 127,737 shares in the company, valued at $8,870,057.28. This represents a 19.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.03, for a total transaction of $72,030.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 10,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $754,370.19. This represents a 8.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 207,793 shares of company stock valued at $14,938,358. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have weighed in on KR shares. UBS Group lifted their target price on Kroger from $66.00 to $74.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday. Citigroup boosted their price target on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Wall Street Zen raised Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $82.00 price target (up previously from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, June 20th. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $69.47.

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.