Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. Has $5.03 Million Stock Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 228.1% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 74,374 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 51,708 shares during the quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $5,034,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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

Kroger Trading Up 9.7%

Shares of NYSE KR traded up $6.33 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $71.85. The stock had a trading volume of 35,151,293 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,835,366. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $68.89 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.27. The firm 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 0.59. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $49.04 and a fifty-two week high of $73.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results 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. Kroger had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 1.76%. The business had revenue of $45.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.35 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.43 EPS. The firm's revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on the company. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Wall Street Zen raised Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday. Finally, Roth Capital set a $58.00 target price on Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $68.11.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.03, for a total transaction of $72,030.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $754,370.19. The trade was a 8.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 97,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,043,905.59. This represents a 23.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 111,679 shares of company stock worth $7,865,706 in the last three months. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

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.