8,559 Shares in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Bought by Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC

Sagespring Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 8,559 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $523,000.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. McIlrath & Eck LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 220.9% during the 3rd quarter. McIlrath & Eck LLC now owns 2,888 shares of the company's stock worth $165,000 after acquiring an additional 1,988 shares during the last quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd boosted its position in Kroger by 1.2% during the third quarter. Te Ahumairangi Investment Management Ltd now owns 179,707 shares of the company's stock worth $10,239,000 after purchasing an additional 2,060 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the third quarter valued at $566,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the third quarter valued at about $95,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.2% during the 3rd quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 59,176 shares of the company's stock worth $3,391,000 after buying an additional 698 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on KR. Melius Research cut shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Bank of America increased their target price on Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 20th. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price objective on Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Melius cut shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $58.00 target price for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total value of $86,723.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 12,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $806,523.90. This represents a 9.71 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total value of $1,872,355.10. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 52,861 shares in the company, valued at $3,521,599.82. The trade was a 34.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 290,056 shares of company stock worth $19,637,066 over the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR stock traded up $2.29 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $71.30. The company's stock had a trading volume of 11,454,556 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,412,355. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $49.04 and a fifty-two week high of $71.93. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $66.02 and its 200-day simple moving average is $61.66. 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 company has a market capitalization of $47.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.86, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.80%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's payout ratio is 34.88%.

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.