Summit Trail Advisors LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Summit Trail Advisors LLC lowered its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 32.2% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 4,419 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,098 shares during the period. Summit Trail Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $202,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. SouthState Corp boosted its position in Kroger by 334.3% in the fourth quarter. SouthState Corp now owns 595 shares of the company’s stock worth $27,000 after purchasing an additional 458 shares during the last quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 370.1% during the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the period. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. increased its position in shares of Kroger by 430.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 637 shares of the company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 517 shares during the last quarter. Finally, ORG Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 613.0% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 820 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 705 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total value of $224,070.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. In other Kroger news, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 30,251 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.98, for a total value of $1,693,450.98. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 105,298 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,894,582.04. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total value of $224,070.87. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 55,796 shares of company stock worth $3,118,767. 1.38% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $55.38 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $42.10 and a 12 month high of $58.34. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $55.26 and a 200 day moving average of $48.83. The firm has a market cap of $39.97 billion, a PE ratio of 18.71, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.49.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.07 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.99 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.09%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 39.19%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

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.