The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Purchased by Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC

Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 6.7% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 72,660 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,566 shares during the period. Kroger makes up about 1.0% of Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $4,918,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Norges Bank bought a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth $598,390,000. Steadfast Capital Management LP bought a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth $277,989,000. Junto Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at $264,207,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at $123,829,000. Finally, FMR LLC increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 39.1% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,054,824 shares of the company's stock valued at $431,402,000 after purchasing an additional 1,981,259 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KR has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Melius Research upgraded Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $74.00 price target (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $82.00 price objective (up previously from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, June 20th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $70.00.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other Kroger news, EVP Yael Cosset sold 71,224 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.49, for a total transaction of $5,234,251.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 139,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,224,222.76. This represents a 33.86% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total transaction of $2,437,230.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 184,473 shares in the company, valued at $13,127,098.68. The trade was a 15.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 244,462 shares of company stock valued at $17,649,963 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Trading Down 1.3%

NYSE:KR traded down $0.96 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $70.49. 1,929,246 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,865,656. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.23, a PEG ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.59. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $50.69 and a 52 week high of $74.11. The firm's 50 day moving average is $69.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.07. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a net margin of 1.76% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The business had revenue of $45.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.43 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This is a boost from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.99%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Kroger Company 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.