Demars Financial Group LLC Acquires 45,809 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Demars Financial Group LLC increased its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 13.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 395,648 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 45,809 shares during the period. Demars Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $26,781,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $351,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $223,000. Coordinated Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $282,000. Principal Securities Inc. raised its position in Kroger by 20.9% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 7,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $453,000 after purchasing an additional 1,280 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitchell Capital Management Co. bought a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $5,870,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of KR stock opened at $66.03 on Tuesday. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $49.04 and a 1-year high of $73.63. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $68.87 and its 200 day moving average price is $65.08. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The company has a market cap of $43.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have weighed in on KR. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Melius Research raised Kroger from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Melius raised Kroger from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Roth Capital set a $58.00 price target on Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kroger news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.44, for a total transaction of $2,083,200.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 127,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,870,057.28. The trade was a 19.02% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.37, for a total value of $719,070.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 127,106 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,308,919.22. The trade was a 7.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 138,638 shares of company stock worth $9,632,165 in the last ninety days. 0.44% of the stock is owned by 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.