Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC Purchases Shares of 3,855 The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Moss Adams Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor purchased 3,855 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $261,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in KR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position in Kroger by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,164,855 shares of the company's stock valued at $353,246,000 after acquiring an additional 37,222 shares in the last quarter. Brighton Jones LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 27.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,733 shares of the company's stock valued at $962,000 after purchasing an additional 3,373 shares in the last quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 12,024 shares of the company's stock valued at $735,000 after purchasing an additional 298 shares in the last quarter. Strategic Financial Concepts LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $771,000. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $49,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 4,492 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.53, for a total transaction of $298,852.76. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 3,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $231,524.40. This trade represents a 56.35% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total transaction of $86,723.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,523.90. This trade represents a 9.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 191,669 shares of company stock worth $13,155,425 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR stock traded down $0.12 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $65.37. 5,096,824 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,757,096. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $49.04 and a 1 year high of $73.63. The company has a market capitalization of $43.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.29, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The firm's 50-day moving average is $69.07 and its 200 day moving average is $64.91.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on KR. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Guggenheim boosted their target price on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Roth Capital set a $58.00 price target on Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Eight investment 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.06.

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.