The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Lake Street Advisors Group LLC

Lake Street Advisors Group LLC cut its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 10.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 8,945 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,098 shares during the quarter. Lake Street Advisors Group LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $513,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in Kroger by 255.6% during the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 448 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after acquiring an additional 322 shares during the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its position in Kroger by 101.6% in the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Kroger in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 1st quarter valued at $29,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the first quarter valued at about $34,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $57.37 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The firm has a market cap of $41.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.58, a P/E/G ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.47. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $42.10 and a one year high of $58.34. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $54.84 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $53.89.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.54% and a net margin of 1.86%. The company had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.09 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.96 EPS. Kroger’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.23%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.69%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total value of $167,730.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 74,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,142,036.44. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Kroger news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total transaction of $167,730.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 74,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,142,036.44. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total value of $386,247.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 14,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $784,715.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 12,932 shares of company stock worth $721,243. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 target price for the company. Melius Research assumed coverage on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They issued a “hold” rating and a $55.00 price objective on the stock. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Wednesday, October 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, September 16th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $60.09.

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.