The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Acquired by Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC

Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 13.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 9,826 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,150 shares during the period. Aaron Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $601,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brighton Jones LLC increased its holdings in Kroger by 18.5% during the 2nd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 13,170 shares of the company’s stock valued at $658,000 after acquiring an additional 2,057 shares in the last quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC grew its position in shares of Kroger by 60.6% in the second quarter. AE Wealth Management LLC now owns 83,175 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,153,000 after purchasing an additional 31,379 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 892,338 shares of the company’s stock worth $44,560,000 after purchasing an additional 51,082 shares in the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans raised its position in shares of Kroger by 40.7% during the 2nd quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 90,103 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,498,000 after purchasing an additional 26,079 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Ensign Peak Advisors Inc lifted its stake in Kroger by 2.3% in the 2nd quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 1,097,637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,805,000 after buying an additional 25,186 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $58.34 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.22 billion, a PE ratio of 15.43, a P/E/G ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.48. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $44.48 and a 12 month high of $63.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The business has a 50-day moving average of $60.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $56.57.

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

Kroger declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to buy up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on KR shares. Bank of America raised their price target on Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 target price on the stock. Roth Mkm lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, December 23rd. Six analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $65.93.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 20,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total transaction of $1,167,800.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 144,620 shares in the company, valued at $8,444,361.80. This trade represents a 12.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Stuart Aitken sold 132,627 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.18, for a total transaction of $8,379,373.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 217,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,743,103.14. This trade represents a 37.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 195,448 shares of company stock valued at $12,143,923. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Company 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.