The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Soltis Investment Advisors LLC

Soltis Investment Advisors LLC lowered its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 1.3% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 106,972 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,363 shares during the quarter. Soltis Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $6,130,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Altshuler Shaham Ltd purchased a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the third quarter worth about $34,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its holdings in Kroger by 218.8% during the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $40,000. Finally, ORG Partners LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $42,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger news, SVP Timothy A. Massa sold 25,889 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.12, for a total value of $1,556,446.68. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 115,861 shares in the company, valued at $6,965,563.32. This trade represents a 18.26 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total value of $386,247.60. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $784,715.40. The trade was a 32.99 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 58,821 shares of company stock worth $3,445,490 over the last quarter. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kroger Stock Up 5.1 %

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $60.74 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The company has a market capitalization of $43.94 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.07, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.48. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $43.51 and a 52-week high of $61.37. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $57.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $54.65.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $33.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.19 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th were paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is presently 33.86%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on KR. Guggenheim raised their price target on Kroger from $61.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, November 25th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. BMO Capital Markets cut shares of Kroger from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and set a $60.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $59.00 to $69.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $65.00 to $70.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $63.33.

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.