The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV

Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV trimmed its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 13.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the period. Creative Financial Designs Inc. ADV’s holdings in Kroger were worth $122,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Prospera Financial Services Inc increased its holdings in Kroger by 49.4% in the third quarter. Prospera Financial Services Inc now owns 24,153 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,384,000 after buying an additional 7,989 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 5.2% in the 3rd quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,306 shares of the company’s stock valued at $361,000 after purchasing an additional 310 shares in the last quarter. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. Holding AG acquired a new position in Kroger in the 3rd quarter worth about $1,783,000. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its position in Kroger by 4.7% during the third quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 205,421 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,771,000 after purchasing an additional 9,190 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. grew its holdings in Kroger by 492.8% in the third quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. now owns 385,920 shares of the company’s stock valued at $22,113,000 after purchasing an additional 320,816 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of KR opened at $64.69 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $63.24 and a 200 day moving average price of $59.78. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $49.04 and a 12-month high of $68.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.11, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.96 billion. 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 initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total value of $7,839,343.92. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 139,338 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,486,131.04. The trade was a 45.25 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 15,959 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.63, for a total value of $1,047,389.17. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 89,085 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,846,648.55. The trade was a 15.19 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 212,244 shares of company stock worth $14,282,348. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on KR shares. Bank of America upped their target price on Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, BMO Capital Markets boosted their price objective on Kroger from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.88.

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.