The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.

First Citizens Bank & Trust Co. cut its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 27.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,408 shares of the company's stock after selling 3,872 shares during the quarter. First Citizens Bank & Trust Co.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $705,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also made changes to their positions in KR. Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $351,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $223,000. Coordinated Financial Services Inc. bought a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $282,000. Principal Securities Inc. grew its holdings in Kroger by 20.9% in the fourth quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 7,415 shares of the company's stock worth $453,000 after purchasing an additional 1,280 shares during the period. Finally, Mitchell Capital Management Co. bought a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $5,870,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on KR shares. Melius raised Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Melius Research raised Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $68.06.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of the business's 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $754,370.19. The trade was a 8.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 11,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.37, for a total transaction of $719,070.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 127,106 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,308,919.22. This trade represents a 7.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 160,815 shares of company stock valued at $11,101,588 in the last three months. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KR traded up $0.33 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $64.95. The stock had a trading volume of 1,725,671 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,765,833. The firm has a market cap of $42.93 billion, a PE ratio of 17.18, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54. The company has a 50 day moving average of $68.92 and a two-hundred day moving average of $64.91. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $73.63.

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.