The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Acquired by Kovack Advisors Inc.

Kovack Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 5.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,368 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the period. Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $365,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Parthenon LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $210,000. Souders Financial Advisors raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 22.1% during the third quarter. Souders Financial Advisors now owns 10,611 shares of the company’s stock worth $608,000 after purchasing an additional 1,921 shares during the period. Haverford Trust Co lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 7.3% in the 3rd quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 8,304 shares of the company’s stock worth $476,000 after buying an additional 562 shares during the last quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.5% in the 3rd quarter. Empower Advisory Group LLC now owns 162,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $9,325,000 after buying an additional 2,402 shares during the period. Finally, Barnett & Company Inc. raised its stake in Kroger by 3.0% during the third quarter. Barnett & Company Inc. now owns 51,433 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,947,000 after acquiring an additional 1,500 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, October 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total value of $386,247.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares in the company, valued at $784,715.40. This trade represents a 32.99 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total value of $167,265.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 47,593 shares in the company, valued at $2,644,743.01. This represents a 5.95 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,932 shares of company stock valued at $721,243 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $58.04 on Friday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $56.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $54.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.46. The stock has a market cap of $41.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.19, a PEG ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.48. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $42.10 and a 12 month high of $60.35.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.09 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.54% and a net margin of 1.86%. The company’s revenue was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.96 earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.21%. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 33.51%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Wednesday, October 9th. BNP Paribas began coverage on Kroger in a research report on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 target price on the stock. Argus boosted their price target on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $60.09.

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.