Trilogy Capital Inc. Invests $334,000 in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Key Points

• Trilogy Capital Inc. has acquired 4,938 shares of The Kroger Co. in Q1, valued at approximately $334,000, as stated in their recent SEC filing.
• Kroger has recently increased its quarterly dividend from $0.32 to $0.35, resulting in a new annual dividend yield of 1.96%.
• Despite reporting a quarterly EPS of $1.49, which exceeded analyst expectations, Kroger's revenue of $45.12 billion was slightly below consensus estimates.

Trilogy Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 4,938 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $334,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Bessemer Group Inc. raised its stake in Kroger by 1.7% in 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 increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $223,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position 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 purchasing an additional 24,849 shares in the last quarter. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc increased its position in shares of Kroger by 4.0% during the first quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 8,967 shares of the company's stock worth $607,000 after purchasing an additional 348 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR stock traded down $0.27 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $69.04. 1,635,512 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,074,725. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $69.31 and a 200 day moving average of $67.19. 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 52-week low of $50.69 and a 52-week high of $74.11. The company has a market cap of $45.62 billion, a PE ratio of 18.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.59.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its 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 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 analyst estimates of $45.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.43 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts anticipate 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. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This is a positive change from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.03%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 75,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,448,791.92. This trade represents a 33.54% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 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 transaction, the vice president directly owned 49,360 shares in the company, valued at $3,642,274.40. This represents a 25.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 198,948 shares of company stock worth $14,422,926. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Melius raised Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.16.

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.