Merit Financial Group LLC Has $1.77 Million Stock Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Merit Financial Group LLC grew its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 118.2% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,154 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 14,168 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $1,770,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in KR. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total transaction of $86,723.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,523.90. This trade represents a 9.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Yael Cosset sold 17,685 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.19, for a total transaction of $1,170,570.15. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 139,124 shares in the company, valued at $9,208,617.56. This represents a 11.28% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 191,669 shares of company stock worth $13,155,425. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Kroger stock traded down $0.68 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $65.47. The company had a trading volume of 7,150,500 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,759,737. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $49.04 and a one year high of $73.63. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $69.07 and a 200 day moving average of $64.91. The firm has a market cap of $43.27 billion, a PE ratio of 17.32, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.96 billion. On average, sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is 34.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Citigroup upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Eight 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.06.

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.