OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC Trims Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 28.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,666 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,591 shares during the quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $1,263,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Bessemer Group Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.7% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 12,545 shares of the company's stock worth $850,000 after buying an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 3.7% during the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,429 shares of the company's stock worth $435,000 after buying an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $351,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $223,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 8.8% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 307,790 shares of the company's stock worth $20,834,000 after buying an additional 24,849 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Down 0.3%

Kroger stock traded down $0.23 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $70.48. 4,192,063 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,892,258. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $68.94 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The company has a market cap of $46.58 billion, a PE ratio of 19.20, a PEG ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.59. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $50.69 and a one year high of $74.11.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $45.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $45.35 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.43 EPS. The business's revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently commented on KR. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $82.00 price target (up from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, June 20th. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and set a $74.00 price target (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Guggenheim increased their price target on Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Nine equities research 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, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Yael Cosset sold 71,224 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.49, for a total value of $5,234,251.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 139,124 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,224,222.76. This represents a 33.86% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total value of $2,749,822.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 75,218 shares in the company, valued at $5,448,791.92. This trade represents a 33.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 244,462 shares of company stock worth $17,649,963 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

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.