Money Concepts Capital Corp Makes New Investment in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Money Concepts Capital Corp purchased a new stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 18,436 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,248,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at about $31,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on KR shares. Guggenheim lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, June 21st. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Roth Capital set a $58.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.00.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR traded up $0.12 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $71.40. The company had a trading volume of 8,981,889 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,885,327. The firm has a market cap of $47.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.45, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a fifty day moving average of $69.15 and a 200-day moving average of $65.67. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $49.74 and a 12 month high of $74.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92.

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 5,541 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.79, for a total value of $392,247.39. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $246,349.20. This represents a 61.42% 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 Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total transaction of $2,749,822.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 75,218 shares in the company, valued at $5,448,791.92. This trade represents a 33.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 245,753 shares of company stock worth $17,688,180. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

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.