HighPoint Advisor Group LLC Takes $627,000 Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC acquired a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor acquired 13,727 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $627,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Sanders Capital LLC lifted its position in Kroger by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 23,786,389 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,087,276,000 after buying an additional 1,123,427 shares during the period. Capital World Investors increased its stake in Kroger by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 14,453,142 shares of the company’s stock worth $660,653,000 after acquiring an additional 214,852 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Kroger by 4.2% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 12,592,371 shares of the company’s stock worth $575,546,000 after acquiring an additional 503,839 shares during the last quarter. Northern Trust Corp increased its stake in Kroger by 7.0% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,833,537 shares of the company’s stock worth $350,551,000 after acquiring an additional 511,978 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $229,863,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on the company. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the stock from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday. Guggenheim upped their price target on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. BNP Paribas reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $55.18.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kroger news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total transaction of $224,070.87. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In other Kroger news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total transaction of $224,070.87. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 30,251 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, April 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.98, for a total value of $1,693,450.98. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 105,298 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,894,582.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 55,796 shares of company stock valued at $3,118,767 in the last quarter. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE:KR opened at $51.98 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The business’s 50 day moving average is $53.96 and its two-hundred day moving average is $50.66. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $42.10 and a 52 week high of $58.34. The company has a market cap of $37.51 billion, a PE ratio of 17.56, a P/E/G ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 0.43.

Kroger Company 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.