Members Capital Advisors Inc. Sells 34,496 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Members Capital Advisors Inc. lowered its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 89.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,080 shares of the company's stock after selling 34,496 shares during the quarter. Kroger accounts for about 0.5% of Members Capital Advisors Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 18th biggest position. Members Capital Advisors Inc.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $186,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its stake in Kroger by 2.7% during the third quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 8,839 shares of the company's stock worth $396,000 after buying an additional 236 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its stake in Kroger by 0.4% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 65,884 shares of the company's stock worth $2,948,000 after buying an additional 238 shares during the last quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 2.0% during the third quarter. Belpointe Asset Management LLC now owns 12,405 shares of the company's stock worth $555,000 after purchasing an additional 240 shares in the last quarter. Mendel Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Mendel Capital Management LLC now owns 33,132 shares of the company's stock worth $1,514,000 after purchasing an additional 253 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Balentine LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 2.5% during the third quarter. Balentine LLC now owns 10,700 shares of the company's stock worth $479,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on KR. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $62.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Kroger from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. Finally, BNP Paribas restated an "underperform" rating and issued a $48.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, April 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $55.17.

Kroger Trading Up 0.9 %

NYSE:KR traded up $0.52 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $56.15. The stock had a trading volume of 3,258,398 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,948,045. The business's 50 day moving average is $53.90 and its 200-day moving average is $48.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.81. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $42.10 and a one year high of $58.34. The company has a market cap of $40.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.48.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.21. Kroger had a net margin of 1.44% and a return on equity of 31.44%. The company had revenue of $37.06 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.07 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.99 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is 39.19%.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total value of $224,070.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,768 shares of the company's stock, valued at $214,889.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In related news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total value of $832,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 77,696 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,313,681.92. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total transaction of $224,070.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,768 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.

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