The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Stock Position Lifted by Atomi Financial Group Inc.

Atomi Financial Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 27.4% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,665 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,434 shares during the quarter. Atomi Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $408,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC bought a new position in Kroger during the third quarter valued at about $34,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 218.8% during the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. Finally, Strategic Investment Solutions Inc. IL bought a new stake in Kroger during the second quarter worth approximately $44,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Guggenheim assumed coverage on Kroger in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $68.00 price target on the stock. BMO Capital Markets boosted their target price on Kroger from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Kroger in a report on Friday, October 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $61.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $65.80.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $58.68 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $44.48 and a one year high of $63.59. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $60.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $56.74. The company has a market capitalization of $42.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.48.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $33.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.19 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $0.95 EPS. Analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other Kroger news, SVP Stuart Aitken sold 132,627 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.18, for a total transaction of $8,379,373.86. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 217,523 shares in the company, valued at $13,743,103.14. This trade represents a 37.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total transaction of $1,040,302.08. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 53,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,304,366.08. This represents a 23.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 195,448 shares of company stock worth $12,143,923. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.