Wright Investors Service Inc. Has $1.68 Million Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Wright Investors Service Inc. cut its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 36.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 24,743 shares of the company's stock after selling 14,454 shares during the quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,675,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently issued reports on KR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Melius upgraded 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. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Melius Research raised shares of Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Guggenheim boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Eight 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $68.06.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other Kroger news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 97,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,043,905.59. The trade was a 23.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total transaction of $86,723.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 12,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $806,523.90. The trade was a 9.71% 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. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR stock traded down $0.84 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $66.24. 5,854,175 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,730,621. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month 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. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $69.19 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.65. The firm has a market cap of $43.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its 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 firm had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. As a group, equities research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a $0.32 dividend. 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%.

Kroger Company 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.