Parr Mcknight Wealth Management Group LLC Invests $3.02 Million in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

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

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Down 0.1%

KR stock traded down $0.10 during midday trading on Wednesday, hitting $67.73. The company's stock had a trading volume of 2,224,486 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,655,245. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.98 and a 200-day simple moving average of $64.36. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.93, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $49.04 and a 52-week high of $73.63.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The firm had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. As a group, equities analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on KR shares. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Roth Capital set a $58.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.06.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.03, for a total transaction of $72,030.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 10,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $754,370.19. This trade represents a 8.72% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 97,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $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 three months, insiders have sold 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124. 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.