3,683 Shares in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Acquired by Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc.

Sanibel Captiva Trust Company Inc. bought a new position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 3,683 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $210,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its position in Kroger by 255.6% during the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after buying an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its position in Kroger by 101.6% during the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the first quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the first quarter valued at approximately $34,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have recently commented on KR. Argus boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 17th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $57.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, June 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $58.64.

Kroger Stock Down 1.4 %

KR stock opened at $54.33 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $42.10 and a 1-year high of $58.34. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $52.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $52.23. The firm has a market cap of $39.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.54, a PEG ratio of 0.86 and a beta of 0.45.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, June 20th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. Kroger had a net margin of 1.43% and a return on equity of 29.89%. The firm had revenue of $45.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $44.86 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $1.51 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.28 per share. This is a positive change from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.42%. Kroger’s payout ratio is presently 39.59%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.53, for a total transaction of $109,060.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 18,063 shares in the company, valued at $984,975.39. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.40% 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.