Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC Increases Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC increased its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 4.5% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 6,126 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 266 shares during the quarter. Clear Harbor Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $351,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 101.6% in the 1st quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 250 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in Kroger in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Palisade Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Redmont Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, Northwest Investment Counselors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total transaction of $167,265.70. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 47,593 shares in the company, valued at $2,644,743.01. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other Kroger news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 3,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.91, for a total transaction of $167,730.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 74,084 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,142,036.44. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.57, for a total transaction of $167,265.70. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 47,593 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,644,743.01. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 12,932 shares of company stock worth $721,243. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Kroger stock opened at $57.37 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.46 and a current ratio of 0.87. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $42.10 and a fifty-two week high of $58.34. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $54.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $53.86. The company has a market capitalization of $41.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.58, a PEG ratio of 0.87 and a beta of 0.47.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, September 12th. The company reported $0.93 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.09 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.86% and a return on equity of 28.54%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.96 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, November 15th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, November 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.23%. Kroger’s payout ratio is currently 43.69%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $58.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Friday, September 13th. Argus raised their price objective on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 22nd. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Wednesday, October 9th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $60.09.

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.