Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC Sells 800 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC lowered its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 10.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 7,072 shares of the company’s stock after selling 800 shares during the period. Capital Investment Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $323,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. IFP Advisors Inc lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 10.7% in the third quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 5,767 shares of the company’s stock worth $258,000 after buying an additional 558 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Kroger by 18.8% during the third quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 8,017 shares of the company’s stock valued at $359,000 after purchasing an additional 1,269 shares during the period. RFG Advisory LLC bought a new position in Kroger during the third quarter valued at approximately $222,000. Royal Fund Management LLC bought a new position in Kroger during the third quarter valued at approximately $252,000. Finally, Meridian Wealth Management LLC lifted its position in Kroger by 94.3% during the third quarter. Meridian Wealth Management LLC now owns 48,258 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,160,000 after purchasing an additional 23,427 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

KR stock opened at $55.62 on Wednesday. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $42.10 and a 52 week high of $58.34. 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 has a fifty day simple moving average of $53.69 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $48.05. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.14 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.48.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have commented on KR shares. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their target price for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday. Finally, BNP Paribas reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a 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 MarketBeat, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $55.17.

Kroger 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.