The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Purchased by Aspire Private Capital LLC

Aspire Private Capital LLC lifted its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 9.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 27,475 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,312 shares during the quarter. Aspire Private Capital LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,860,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $351,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $223,000. Coordinated Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $282,000. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its position in Kroger by 20.9% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 7,415 shares of the company’s stock worth $453,000 after acquiring an additional 1,280 shares during the period. Finally, Mitchell Capital Management Co. acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $5,870,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently commented on KR shares. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Melius Research raised Kroger from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday. Citigroup raised their price target on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Roth Capital set a $58.00 price target on Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $68.11.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE KR opened at $71.85 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $49.04 and a 1-year high of $73.63. The company has a market capitalization of $47.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.58, a PEG ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.58. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $68.89 and a 200 day moving average price of $65.20. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13, a current ratio of 0.96 and a quick ratio of 0.52.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.17% and a net margin of 1.81%. The firm had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.35 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.43 EPS. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other Kroger news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total value of $2,162,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 97,737 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $7,043,905.59. The trade was a 23.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 31,271 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.08, for a total transaction of $2,160,200.68. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 82,684 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,711,810.72. The trade was a 27.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 111,679 shares of company stock valued at $7,865,706 over the last quarter. Insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

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.