ROI Financial Advisors LLC Sells 189 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

ROI Financial Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 2.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 6,800 shares of the company’s stock after selling 189 shares during the period. ROI Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $390,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Plato Investment Management Ltd raised its position in shares of Kroger by 2.8% in the third quarter. Plato Investment Management Ltd now owns 20,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,182,000 after purchasing an additional 554 shares during the period. Kovack Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Kroger by 5.9% in the 3rd quarter. Kovack Advisors Inc. now owns 6,368 shares of the company’s stock worth $365,000 after acquiring an additional 355 shares during the period. Parthenon LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth $210,000. Souders Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in Kroger by 22.1% during the third quarter. Souders Financial Advisors now owns 10,611 shares of the company’s stock valued at $608,000 after acquiring an additional 1,921 shares during the period. Finally, Haverford Trust Co grew its position in shares of Kroger by 7.3% in the third quarter. Haverford Trust Co now owns 8,304 shares of the company’s stock valued at $476,000 after purchasing an additional 562 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Trading Down 0.2 %

NYSE KR opened at $59.58 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.87, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $42.10 and a 12 month high of $60.35. The company has a market capitalization of $43.11 billion, a PE ratio of 15.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.48. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $56.04 and a 200 day simple moving average of $54.03.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $33.91 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.09 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 28.54%. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.96 EPS. Research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.15%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have issued reports on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. BNP Paribas started coverage on Kroger in a research note on Friday, October 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price objective for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $60.09.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total value of $167,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 74,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,142,036.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Kroger news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total transaction of $167,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 74,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,142,036.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total transaction of $386,247.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares in the company, valued at $784,715.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 12,932 shares of company stock worth $721,243. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.