Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. Cuts Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. lessened its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 90.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,282 shares of the company's stock after selling 83,235 shares during the period. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $632,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

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

Insider Activity

In other Kroger news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 31,271 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 82,684 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,711,810.72. This trade represents a 27.44% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 11,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.37, for a total transaction of $719,070.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 127,106 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,308,919.22. The trade was a 7.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 122,679 shares of company stock worth $8,584,776 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Melius Research raised Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Roth Capital set a $58.00 target price on Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. 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 research report on Monday, May 19th. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, 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 note on Tuesday, May 20th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.11.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE:KR opened at $65.99 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.52, a current ratio of 0.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $49.04 and a 52 week high of $73.63. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $68.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $65.08. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.61 billion, a PE ratio of 17.98, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.97 and a beta of 0.58.

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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