Global Assets Advisory LLC Takes $1.08 Million Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 18,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,081,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. SouthState Corp raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 334.3% during the 4th quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 595 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 458 shares in the last quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 370.1% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 496 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC raised its position in Kroger by 613.0% in the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 820 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 705 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 6,616 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.69, for a total transaction of $368,445.04. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,958 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,615,091.02. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 6,616 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.69, for a total value of $368,445.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 46,958 shares in the company, valued at $2,615,091.02. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total value of $832,800.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 77,696 shares in the company, valued at $4,313,681.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 55,796 shares of company stock worth $3,118,767. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $49.38 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $35.64 billion, a PE ratio of 16.85, a P/E/G ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 0.43. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $53.43 and a 200-day moving average of $50.87. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $42.10 and a 52-week high of $58.34.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 20th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.33 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $45.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $44.86 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 29.89% and a net margin of 1.43%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.51 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KR has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $60.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, June 20th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Kroger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $58.00 to $60.00 in a research report on Tuesday, June 18th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Kroger from $60.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, June 21st. Finally, BNP Paribas reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Kroger has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $57.30.

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.