The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) is Uncommon Cents Investing LLC's 3rd Largest Position

Uncommon Cents Investing LLC lowered its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 14.0% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 141,989 shares of the company's stock after selling 23,121 shares during the quarter. Kroger accounts for 2.8% of Uncommon Cents Investing LLC's holdings, making the stock its 3rd biggest holding. Uncommon Cents Investing LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $9,611,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 18,045 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,103,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its holdings in Kroger by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 8,049 shares of the company's stock valued at $545,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its position in Kroger by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 6,704 shares of the company's stock valued at $410,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its stake in Kroger by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,834 shares of the company's stock worth $479,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Finally, Keybank National Association OH lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 23,410 shares of the company's stock worth $1,432,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 97,737 shares in the company, valued at $7,043,905.59. This trade represents a 23.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.03, for a total value of $72,030.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 10,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $754,370.19. The trade was a 8.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 111,679 shares of company stock worth $7,865,706 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR opened at $71.85 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $68.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.27. The company has a market cap of $47.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $73.63.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced 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 previous year, the business earned $1.43 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on KR. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.11.

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.

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