apricus wealth LLC Grows Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

apricus wealth LLC grew its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 66.5% during the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 48,590 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19,400 shares during the period. Kroger accounts for about 1.8% of apricus wealth LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. apricus wealth LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $2,784,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Global Assets Advisory LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $1,081,000. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Kroger by 65.3% during the 1st quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 10,722 shares of the company’s stock worth $613,000 after acquiring an additional 4,235 shares in the last quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC grew its holdings in Kroger by 35.4% during the 1st quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC now owns 6,151 shares of the company’s stock worth $351,000 after acquiring an additional 1,608 shares in the last quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in Kroger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $3,434,000. Finally, Kathmere Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Kroger by 36.8% during the 1st quarter. Kathmere Capital Management LLC now owns 15,504 shares of the company’s stock worth $886,000 after acquiring an additional 4,171 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Down 1.6 %

KR stock opened at $56.68 on Friday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $54.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $53.86. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $42.10 and a 12 month high of $58.34. The company has a market cap of $40.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.34, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a current ratio of 0.87 and a quick ratio of 0.46.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.26%. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 43.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on KR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Melius Research started coverage on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $55.00 price target for the company. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $60.09.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kroger 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 transaction of $167,730.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 74,084 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,142,036.44. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $784,715.40. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the senior vice president now owns 74,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,142,036.44. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 12,932 shares of company stock worth $721,243. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.