Keudell Morrison Wealth Management Makes New Investment in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Keudell Morrison Wealth Management acquired a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 3,815 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $258,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its stake in 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 buying 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 grew its holdings 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 during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 13,867 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.82, for a total transaction of $995,927.94. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 75,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,402,156.76. This trade represents a 15.57% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 31,271 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 16th. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,711,810.72. The trade was a 27.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 111,679 shares of company stock worth $7,865,706. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $73.98 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The company has a market cap of $48.89 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.16, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.58. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $49.04 and a 52 week high of $74.11. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $68.98 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.37.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a net margin of 1.76% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The firm had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $1.43 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on KR. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their price objective on Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday. UBS Group raised their price objective on Kroger from $66.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $69.47.

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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