The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Bought by OneAscent Financial Services LLC

OneAscent Financial Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 119.7% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 12,376 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,744 shares during the period. OneAscent Financial Services LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $840,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Brighton Jones LLC raised its position 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 buying an additional 3,373 shares during the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $223,000. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 335.4% in the fourth quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 4,667 shares of the company's stock valued at $285,000 after purchasing an additional 3,595 shares during the period. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, EVP Yael Cosset sold 71,224 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.49, for a total value of $5,234,251.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 139,124 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,224,222.76. The trade was a 33.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total transaction of $2,437,230.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 184,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,127,098.68. The trade was a 15.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 198,948 shares of company stock worth $14,422,926 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR traded up $0.17 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $73.05. 1,111,907 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,128,399. The stock has a market cap of $48.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.89, a PEG ratio of 2.32 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $50.69 and a twelve month high of $74.11. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $69.16 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.83.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 business 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 30.01% and a net margin of 1.76%. The business's revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $1.43 EPS. On average, research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger's payout ratio is 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have weighed in on KR. Melius Research raised shares of Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Guggenheim raised their price objective on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Melius raised shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $70.16.

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.