IFG Advisory LLC Sells 15,993 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

IFG Advisory LLC reduced its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 37.8% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,312 shares of the company’s stock after selling 15,993 shares during the quarter. IFG Advisory LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,203,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of KR. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 12.2% during the 1st quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,880 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,000 after purchasing an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. Bison Wealth LLC increased its holdings in Kroger by 2.7% in the 2nd quarter. Bison Wealth LLC now owns 7,859 shares of the company’s stock worth $369,000 after acquiring an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV lifted its holdings in Kroger by 1.2% during the first quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 17,802 shares of the company’s stock valued at $879,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares during the last quarter. United Capital Financial Advisers LLC boosted its position in Kroger by 1.9% during the first quarter. United Capital Financial Advisers LLC now owns 11,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $664,000 after purchasing an additional 221 shares during the period. Finally, IHT Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 3.4% in the first quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,693 shares of the company’s stock worth $384,000 after purchasing an additional 222 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of Kroger stock opened at $56.90 on Thursday. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 0.46. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $42.10 and a one year high of $57.26. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.36. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $49.53 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $46.48.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $37.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.07 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 31.44% and a net margin of 1.44%. Kroger’s revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. Analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. Kroger’s payout ratio is 39.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Stephens reduced their price target on Kroger from $52.00 to $50.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, December 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Kroger from $54.00 to $53.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, December 1st. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $64.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday. TheStreet raised shares of Kroger from a “c+” rating to a “b” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 30th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $60.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and five have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $54.45.

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.