The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Soltis Investment Advisors LLC

Soltis Investment Advisors LLC lessened its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 1.3% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 106,972 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,363 shares during the period. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $6,130,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Wedmont Private Capital lifted its holdings in Kroger by 6.2% in the second quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 6,121 shares of the company’s stock worth $321,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $315,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 36.2% in the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 138,978 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,939,000 after purchasing an additional 36,903 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Finally, PGGM Investments acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 2nd quarter valued at $396,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total value of $1,167,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 144,620 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,444,361.80. This represents a 12.15 % 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 3,010 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total transaction of $167,265.70. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 47,593 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,644,743.01. This trade represents a 5.95 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 58,821 shares of company stock worth $3,445,490 over the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on KR shares. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $65.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $54.00 to $73.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 5th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $63.33.

Kroger Trading Up 5.1 %

Shares of KR stock opened at $60.74 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day moving average is $57.81 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.65. 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 Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $43.51 and a 12 month high of $61.37. The company has a market cap of $43.94 billion, a PE ratio of 16.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.48.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $33.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.19 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.95 EPS. Equities analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.86%.

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.