Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Acquires 122,680 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 76.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 282,941 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 122,680 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $17,302,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR traded down $0.84 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $66.24. 5,887,569 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,730,961. The stock has a market cap of $43.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $69.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $64.66. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $49.04 and a 1 year high of $73.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.93%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total transaction of $1,872,355.10. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 52,861 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,521,599.82. The trade was a 34.71% 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 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 97,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,043,905.59. This represents a 23.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have recently commented on KR. Citigroup raised their target price on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. 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 report on Tuesday, May 20th. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $68.06.

About Kroger

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.