The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Stock Holdings Lessened by AdvisorNet Financial Inc

AdvisorNet Financial Inc trimmed its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 4.4% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 7,583 shares of the company’s stock after selling 352 shares during the quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc’s holdings in Kroger were worth $464,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new position in Kroger during the second quarter valued at $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 218.8% during the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in Kroger in the 3rd quarter worth about $43,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger news, SVP Timothy A. Massa sold 25,889 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $60.12, for a total transaction of $1,556,446.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 115,861 shares in the company, valued at $6,965,563.32. This represents a 18.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Yael Cosset sold 20,000 shares of Kroger 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. The trade was a 12.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 195,448 shares of company stock valued at $12,143,923. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Kroger Stock Down 2.0 %

Shares of KR stock opened at $58.74 on Thursday. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $44.48 and a 52-week high of $63.59. The stock has a market cap of $42.50 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.54, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.48. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $60.28 and its 200-day moving average is $56.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.01. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The company had revenue of $33.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.95 EPS. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 EPS for the current year.

Kroger declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have commented on KR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Kroger from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 6th. Guggenheim initiated coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $68.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group upped their price target on Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Roth Mkm increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, December 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $65.93.

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.