Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC Makes New Investment in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC acquired a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 49,368 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,019,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of KR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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 during the period. Sylvest Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $1,132,000. Donoghue Forlines LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,130,000. Flavin Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $360,000. Finally, Advocate Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $4,004,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Down 1.5%

KR opened at $67.90 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54. The company has a market cap of $44.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.96, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $49.04 and a one year high of $73.63. The business's fifty day moving average is $68.80 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.13.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. Analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on KR shares. Melius upgraded shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday. Guggenheim boosted their price target on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Melius Research raised Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. Eight equities research 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 MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $68.06.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other news, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 13,867 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.82, for a total value of $995,927.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 75,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,402,156.76. The trade was a 15.57% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total transaction of $2,162,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 97,737 shares in the company, valued at $7,043,905.59. The trade was a 23.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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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