Blooom Inc. lowered its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR – Get Rating) by 24.6% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,228 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,344 shares during the quarter. Kroger comprises approximately 0.9% of Blooom Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 23rd largest holding. Blooom Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $455,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of KR. Synovus Financial Corp raised its position in shares of Kroger by 6.3% during the 1st quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 12,869 shares of the company’s stock valued at $739,000 after buying an additional 764 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. grew its holdings in Kroger by 30.2% during the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 29,150 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,672,000 after purchasing an additional 6,764 shares during the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL grew its holdings in Kroger by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 14,673 shares of the company’s stock valued at $842,000 after purchasing an additional 974 shares during the last quarter. Prudential PLC bought a new position in Kroger during the 1st quarter valued at about $1,443,000. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. grew its holdings in Kroger by 3.6% during the 1st quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 7,703 shares of the company’s stock valued at $442,000 after purchasing an additional 269 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 78.03% of the company’s stock.
Kroger Trading Down 0.7 %
KR stock traded down $0.32 during trading on Friday, reaching $45.35. 10,873 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,185,229. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.27 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.25. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $46.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $46.71. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $41.81 and a 1 year high of $62.78. The firm has a market capitalization of $32.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.27, a P/E/G ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 0.52.
Kroger (NYSE:KR – Get Rating) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, December 1st. The company reported $0.88 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.81 by $0.07. Kroger had a net margin of 1.61% and a return on equity of 31.92%. The company had revenue of $34.20 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $33.92 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.78 earnings per share. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was up 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.13 earnings per share for the current year.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of brokerages have commented on KR. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $43.00 to $44.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Monday, December 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $54.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 29th. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 26th. Jefferies Financial Group increased their target price on shares of Kroger from $45.00 to $50.00 in a research report on Monday, December 5th. Finally, MKM Partners decreased their target price on shares of Kroger from $50.00 to $47.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, December 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, seven have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $53.39.
Insider Activity
In other news, SVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 43,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.27, for a total value of $1,903,610.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 135,611 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,003,498.97. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 5,779 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.72, for a total value of $275,773.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 5,320 shares in the company, valued at $253,870.40. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 43,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $44.27, for a total transaction of $1,903,610.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 135,611 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,003,498.97. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 1.35% of the company’s stock.
Kroger Profile
The Kroger Co operates as a 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.