The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Stock Position Lifted by Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.

Johnson Investment Counsel Inc. lifted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 1.6% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 175,222 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,731 shares during the quarter. Johnson Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $8,749,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of KR. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 255.6% during the 1st quarter. Valued Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 448 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares in the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 101.6% during the first quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 250 shares in the last quarter. Palisade Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the first quarter worth about $29,000. Creekmur Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Finally, Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR opened at $55.21 on Friday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $53.30 and its 200-day moving average is $53.56. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.45. The company has a market capitalization of $39.85 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.84, a P/E/G ratio of 0.81 and a beta of 0.47. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $42.10 and a fifty-two week high of $58.34.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.91 by $0.02. Kroger had a net margin of 1.43% and a return on equity of 29.89%. The company 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. The company’s revenue was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, August 15th were paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.32%. This is an increase from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Kroger’s payout ratio is 43.69%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts recently commented on KR shares. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday. BMO Capital Markets raised Kroger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and upped their price target for the company from $58.00 to $60.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Argus raised their price objective on Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on Kroger from $60.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, June 21st. Finally, StockNews.com raised Kroger from a “buy” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Thursday, July 18th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, seven have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $58.64.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $54.53, for a total value of $109,060.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 18,063 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $984,975.39. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

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.