Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC raised its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 6.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 72,660 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,566 shares during the quarter. Kroger comprises 1.0% of Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Beverly Hills Private Wealth LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $4,918,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 18,045 shares of the company's stock worth $1,103,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 8,049 shares of the company's stock worth $545,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,834 shares of the company's stock worth $479,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 24.1% in the 4th quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 900 shares of the company's stock worth $55,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 46.7% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 550 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Kroger Stock Performance
NYSE:KR traded up $0.48 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $70.74. 5,560,372 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,891,424. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.28, a P/E/G ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a 50-day moving average of $68.97 and a 200 day moving average of $66.12. 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 1-year low of $50.69 and a 1-year high of $74.11.
Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a net margin of 1.76% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The company had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $45.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $1.43 EPS. The business's revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.
Kroger Increases Dividend
The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This is a boost from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 38.15%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, EVP Yael Cosset sold 71,224 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.49, for a total value of $5,234,251.76. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 139,124 shares in the company, valued at $10,224,222.76. This trade represents a 33.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.79, for a total transaction of $1,215,690.25. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 49,360 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,642,274.40. This trade represents a 25.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 244,462 shares of company stock worth $17,649,963. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.
Analyst Ratings Changes
Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Melius raised shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Melius Research raised shares of Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $82.00 target price (up from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, June 20th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.00.
Read Our Latest Analysis on Kroger
About Kroger
(
Free Report)
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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