Waverly Advisors LLC Acquires 32,837 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Waverly Advisors LLC grew its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 45.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 104,689 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 32,837 shares during the quarter. Waverly Advisors LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $6,402,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Melius Research raised Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday. Melius upgraded shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $73.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $68.06.

Insider Activity

In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.03, for a total value of $72,030.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 10,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at $754,370.19. The trade was a 8.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total transaction of $2,162,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 97,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,043,905.59. This trade represents a 23.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kroger Trading Up 1.0%

KR traded up $0.66 on Friday, hitting $68.61. The company had a trading volume of 5,516,759 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,668,093. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $49.04 and a 12-month high of $73.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $68.80 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.13. The company has a market cap of $45.34 billion, a PE ratio of 18.15, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.96 billion. Equities research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.87%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

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.