Buck Wealth Strategies LLC Buys 36,502 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Buck Wealth Strategies LLC lifted its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 31.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 153,022 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 36,502 shares during the period. Kroger comprises 1.9% of Buck Wealth Strategies LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest holding. Buck Wealth Strategies LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $9,357,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

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 3rd quarter valued at about $34,000. Adirondack Trust Co. lifted its stake in Kroger by 1,628.1% during the fourth quarter. Adirondack Trust Co. now owns 553 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 521 shares during the period. Crews Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $43,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total transaction of $1,040,302.08. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Yael Cosset sold 20,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 144,620 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $8,444,361.80. This trade represents a 12.15 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 195,448 shares of company stock worth $12,143,923 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

KR stock opened at $65.37 on Thursday. The business’s fifty day moving average is $60.56 and its 200-day moving average is $57.25. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $44.48 and a twelve month high of $65.64. The company has a market cap of $47.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.47. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $33.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.19 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.95 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger announced that its board has authorized a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.96%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is 33.86%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on the company. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price objective for the stock from $54.00 to $73.00 in a research note on Tuesday, December 3rd. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, December 23rd. UBS Group boosted their target price on Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets raised their price target on Kroger from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.06.

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.