Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC Has $1.05 Million Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC increased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 9.5% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 17,094 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,484 shares during the period. Twelve Points Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,045,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the third quarter worth approximately $34,000. Adirondack Trust Co. lifted its position in Kroger by 1,628.1% in the 4th quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 553 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after buying an additional 521 shares in the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 218.8% during the 2nd quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company’s stock valued at $36,000 after buying an additional 490 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the third quarter worth $43,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the subject of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price objective on Kroger from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, December 23rd. BNP Paribas initiated coverage on Kroger in a report on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price objective on the stock. UBS Group lifted their target price on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $65.80.

Kroger Stock Performance

KR opened at $60.46 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $60.21 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $56.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.99, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.48. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $44.48 and a 12-month high of $63.59.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.01. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The business had revenue of $33.63 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $0.95 earnings per share. Kroger’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 20,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total value of $1,167,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 144,620 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,444,361.80. This represents a 12.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total value of $1,040,302.08. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 53,782 shares in the company, valued at $3,304,366.08. The trade was a 23.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 195,448 shares of company stock worth $12,143,923. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Company 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.