The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Acquired by Fidelis Capital Partners LLC

Fidelis Capital Partners LLC boosted its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 209.5% in the 2nd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 23,928 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 16,196 shares during the period. Fidelis Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,290,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Creekmur Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its stake in Kroger by 255.6% during the first quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 448 shares of the company’s stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 101.6% during the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 250 shares during the period. Finally, Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter worth $29,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on KR. StockNews.com cut Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, September 9th. BMO Capital Markets upgraded shares of Kroger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $58.00 to $60.00 in a research note on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, Wolfe Research raised shares of Kroger to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, June 21st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $59.09.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total value of $167,265.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 47,593 shares in the company, valued at $2,644,743.01. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.53, for a total value of $109,060.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 18,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $984,975.39. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total transaction of $167,265.70. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 47,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,644,743.01. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $55.39 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 company’s fifty day moving average price is $53.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $53.87. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.98 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.90, a P/E/G ratio of 0.80 and a beta of 0.47. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $42.10 and a 12 month high of $58.34.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a return on equity of 29.89% and a net margin of 1.43%. The firm had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.09 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.96 earnings per share. Kroger’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.31%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 43.69%.

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.