Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC Has $4.92 Million Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC grew its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 6.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 72,660 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,566 shares during the quarter. Kroger comprises about 1.0% of Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st largest position. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $4,918,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the first quarter worth $31,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Trading Up 2.3%

Shares of Kroger stock traded up $1.62 during trading hours on Monday, hitting $71.45. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,963,032 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,880,804. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $50.69 and a 12 month high of $74.11. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $69.02 and a 200 day moving average of $66.00. The company has a market capitalization of $47.22 billion, a PE ratio of 19.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) 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 company had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $1.43 earnings per share. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This is an increase from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is 38.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on KR. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $74.00 target price (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Timothy A. Massa sold 8,415 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.00, for a total transaction of $622,710.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 118,761 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,788,314. This represents a 6.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total value of $2,437,230.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 184,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,127,098.68. This represents a 15.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 244,462 shares of company stock valued at $17,649,963. 0.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.