Global Financial Private Client LLC Raises Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Global Financial Private Client LLC increased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 16,911 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 240 shares during the period. Global Financial Private Client LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,034,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KR. Wright Investors Service Inc. boosted its stake in Kroger by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Wright Investors Service Inc. now owns 39,197 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,397,000 after purchasing an additional 263 shares during the period. FNY Investment Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $305,000. Cooper Financial Group grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 3.7% during the fourth quarter. Cooper Financial Group now owns 5,366 shares of the company’s stock worth $328,000 after buying an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. Wedmont Private Capital increased its position in Kroger by 6.0% in the 4th quarter. Wedmont Private Capital now owns 7,717 shares of the company’s stock valued at $456,000 after acquiring an additional 440 shares during the period. Finally, Capital Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in Kroger by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 8,593 shares of the company’s stock valued at $525,000 after acquiring an additional 810 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $54.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 30th. Bank of America upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Guggenheim initiated coverage on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $68.00 price target for the company. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $65.93.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE KR opened at $59.54 on Tuesday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $60.23 and a 200 day moving average price of $56.37. The company has a market capitalization of $43.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.75, a PEG ratio of 0.97 and a beta of 0.48. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $44.48 and a 1-year high of $63.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

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

Kroger announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, SVP Timothy A. Massa sold 25,889 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.12, for a total value of $1,556,446.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 115,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,965,563.32. The trade was a 18.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Stuart Aitken sold 132,627 shares of the firm’s 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 217,523 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,743,103.14. This trade represents a 37.88 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 195,448 shares of company stock valued at $12,143,923 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

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.