Good Steward Wealth Advisors LLC Takes Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Good Steward Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 4,911 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $332,000.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of KR. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Up 9.7%

NYSE:KR traded up $6.33 on Friday, hitting $71.85. The stock had a trading volume of 35,151,293 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,879,011. The business's fifty day moving average is $68.89 and its 200 day moving average is $65.20. The company has a market cap of $47.48 billion, a PE ratio of 19.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $49.04 and a 52 week high of $73.63.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $45.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.35 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.81% and a return on equity of 28.17%. The business's quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.43 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other Kroger news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 31,271 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was 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 $5,711,810.72. The trade was a 27.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total value of $2,162,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 97,737 shares in the company, valued at $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 valued at $7,865,706 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on KR. Guggenheim boosted 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. Melius raised shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday. Finally, Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on shares of Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.11.

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.