Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC lessened its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 54.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 19,303 shares of the company’s stock after selling 23,090 shares during the period. Mount Yale Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,103,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of KR. Creekmur Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of 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 last quarter. SouthState Corp lifted its position in Kroger by 334.3% during the fourth quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 595 shares of the company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 458 shares during the period. Scarborough Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Hexagon Capital Partners LLC grew its position in Kroger by 101.6% during the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 250 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:KR traded down $0.07 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $54.20. 3,183,322 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,140,483. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $42.10 and a fifty-two week high of $58.34. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $52.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $52.01. 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 stock has a market cap of $39.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.52, a P/E/G ratio of 0.84 and a beta of 0.45.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 20th. The company reported $1.43 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. Kroger had a return on equity of 29.89% and a net margin of 1.43%. The company had revenue of $45.27 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $44.86 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.51 EPS. Kroger’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $1.28 per share. This is a boost from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. This represents a $5.12 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.45%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, August 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.59%.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $54.53, for a total transaction of $109,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 18,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $984,975.39. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have issued reports on KR. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on Kroger from $58.00 to $57.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Argus lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Wolfe Research upgraded shares of Kroger to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 18th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, seven have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $58.64.

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.