Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. Has $12.44 Million Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 3.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 183,732 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,477 shares during the quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $12,437,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its position in shares of Kroger by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 18,045 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,103,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its stake in Kroger by 2.0% in the first quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 8,049 shares of the company's stock valued at $545,000 after buying an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its stake in Kroger by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 6,704 shares of the company's stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its stake in Kroger by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,834 shares of the company's stock valued at $479,000 after buying an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH increased its position in shares of Kroger by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 23,410 shares of the company's stock worth $1,432,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently issued reports on the company. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price target on Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Wall Street Zen raised Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price target on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.11.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.44, for a total transaction of $2,083,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 127,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,870,057.28. This trade represents a 19.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 31,271 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.08, for a total transaction of $2,160,200.68. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 82,684 shares in the company, valued at $5,711,810.72. This trade represents a 27.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 111,679 shares of company stock valued at $7,865,706 over the last ninety days. 0.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR traded up $6.33 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $71.85. 35,151,293 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,835,366. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.52. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $49.04 and a one year high of $73.63. The company has a market capitalization of $47.48 billion, a PE ratio of 19.58, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.58. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.24.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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. The firm had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.35 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.17% and a net margin of 1.81%. The business's revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.43 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

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.