The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC

Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC lessened its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 54.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 22,563 shares of the company's stock after selling 26,805 shares during the quarter. Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $1,527,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Kroger during the first quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have weighed in on KR. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $82.00 target price (up previously from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, June 20th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. Guggenheim upped their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their target price on Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $74.00 target price (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $70.00.

Kroger Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE KR traded down $0.23 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $70.48. 4,192,063 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,901,518. The business's 50 day moving average is $68.91 and its 200-day moving average is $66.28. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $50.69 and a 12-month high of $74.11. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.25 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.95.

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.99%. This is an increase from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total value of $2,162,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 97,737 shares in the company, valued at $7,043,905.59. This trade represents a 23.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 31,271 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.08, for a total value of $2,160,200.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 82,684 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 244,462 shares of company stock worth $17,649,963. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger 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.