DGS Capital Management LLC Buys 1,612 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

DGS Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 12.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,669 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,612 shares during the quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $897,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Adirondack Trust Co. lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 1,628.1% during the 4th quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 553 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 521 shares during the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 218.8% during the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 490 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in Kroger during the third quarter worth approximately $43,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $58.68 on Friday. 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 $42.46 billion, a PE ratio of 15.52, a P/E/G ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $60.15 and a 200 day simple moving average of $56.74. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $44.48 and a twelve month high of $63.59.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $33.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.19 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The company’s revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $0.95 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the company to reacquire up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on KR. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on Kroger in a report on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price objective for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Kroger from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, January 6th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $54.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $65.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kroger news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total transaction of $1,040,302.08. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 53,782 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,304,366.08. This trade represents a 23.94 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, SVP Yael Cosset sold 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total transaction of $1,167,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 144,620 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,444,361.80. The trade was a 12.15 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 195,448 shares of company stock valued at $12,143,923. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.