Demars Financial Group LLC Purchases 45,809 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Demars Financial Group LLC lifted its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 13.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 395,648 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 45,809 shares during the period. Demars Financial Group LLC owned approximately 0.06% of Kroger worth $26,781,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Signature Wealth Management Group bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter valued at $218,000. QRG Capital Management Inc. increased its position in Kroger by 0.7% during the first quarter. QRG Capital Management Inc. now owns 465,076 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,481,000 after acquiring an additional 3,279 shares during the last quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 15.9% in the first quarter. Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC now owns 9,918 shares of the company's stock valued at $671,000 after acquiring an additional 1,359 shares during the period. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC boosted its position in Kroger by 19.0% in the first quarter. Precedent Wealth Partners LLC now owns 23,714 shares of the company's stock worth $1,605,000 after purchasing an additional 3,785 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Great Lakes Retirement Inc. grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 2.7% during the 1st quarter. Great Lakes Retirement Inc. now owns 31,466 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,130,000 after purchasing an additional 831 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Trading Up 0.7%

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $66.03 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $43.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.47, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $68.87 and a 200-day moving average price of $65.08. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $73.63.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on KR shares. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Citigroup lifted 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. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price objective on Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Melius Research upgraded Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 11,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.37, for a total value of $719,070.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 127,106 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,308,919.22. This trade represents a 7.96% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total value of $2,162,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 97,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,043,905.59. This represents a 23.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 138,638 shares of company stock worth $9,632,165. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

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.

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