Ethos Financial Group LLC Has $355,000 Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Ethos Financial Group LLC lessened its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 7,762 shares of the company’s stock after selling 244 shares during the period. Ethos Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $355,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its stake in Kroger by 31.6% in the third quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 159,854 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,077,000 after acquiring an additional 38,375 shares during the last quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 166,115 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,434,000 after purchasing an additional 2,885 shares during the last quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 4.3% during the 3rd quarter. Advisor Partners II LLC now owns 30,373 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,359,000 after buying an additional 1,252 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 0.5% during the 3rd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 382,845 shares of the company’s stock worth $17,132,000 after buying an additional 2,001 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TIAA Trust National Association acquired a new stake in Kroger in the third quarter valued at about $411,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Down 0.7 %

NYSE KR traded down $0.38 on Thursday, reaching $55.00. The company had a trading volume of 3,481,415 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,838,169. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The company’s fifty day moving average is $55.39 and its 200 day moving average is $48.87. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $42.10 and a 52-week high of $58.34. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.49.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.21. Kroger had a return on equity of 31.44% and a net margin of 1.44%. The firm had revenue of $37.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.07 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 39.19%.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other Kroger news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total transaction of $224,070.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In other news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 6,616 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.69, for a total value of $368,445.04. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 46,958 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,615,091.02. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total transaction of $224,070.87. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $214,889.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 55,796 shares of company stock worth $3,118,767. 1.38% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on KR. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Guggenheim lifted their price target on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their target price for the stock from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, BNP Paribas restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, April 8th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.17.

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.