CogentBlue Wealth Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

CogentBlue Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 19.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,980 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 645 shares during the quarter. CogentBlue Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $269,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in KR. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on KR shares. Melius raised shares of Kroger from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price objective on Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their target price on Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.06.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $65.52 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $68.87 and a 200 day moving average of $65.01. The firm has a market cap of $43.30 billion, a PE ratio of 17.33, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $49.04 and a one year high of $73.63.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 4,492 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.53, for a total value of $298,852.76. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,480 shares in the company, valued at $231,524.40. This trade represents a 56.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.03, for a total value of $72,030.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 10,473 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $754,370.19. The trade was a 8.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 160,815 shares of company stock worth $11,101,588 over the last 90 days. 0.44% of the stock is currently 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.