Buck Wealth Strategies LLC Has $6.68 Million Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Buck Wealth Strategies LLC cut its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 10.8% in the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 116,520 shares of the company's stock after selling 14,133 shares during the quarter. Kroger accounts for 2.1% of Buck Wealth Strategies LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 24th largest position. Buck Wealth Strategies LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $6,677,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Barnett & Company Inc. lifted its stake in Kroger by 3.0% during the third quarter. Barnett & Company Inc. now owns 51,433 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,947,000 after buying an additional 1,500 shares in the last quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 13.3% in the third quarter. Aptus Capital Advisors LLC now owns 5,665 shares of the company's stock worth $325,000 after purchasing an additional 667 shares in the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the third quarter worth approximately $680,000. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 53.9% in the third quarter. Prime Capital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 11,042 shares of the company's stock worth $633,000 after purchasing an additional 3,869 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 2.8% in the third quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 8,720 shares of the company's stock worth $500,000 after purchasing an additional 238 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR traded down $0.20 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $59.48. The company's stock had a trading volume of 583,820 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,698,334. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $42.10 and a one year high of $60.35. 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 firm has a market capitalization of $43.03 billion, a PE ratio of 15.59, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.92 and a beta of 0.48. The stock's 50-day moving average is $56.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $54.03.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $33.91 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.09 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.54% and a net margin of 1.86%. Kroger's revenue for the quarter was up .2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.96 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.46 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, December 1st. Investors of record on Friday, November 15th will be given 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 2.15%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 33.51%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on KR shares. Argus increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, July 22nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $58.00 to $59.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, September 13th. StockNews.com downgraded Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, September 16th. BNP Paribas started coverage on Kroger in a report on Friday, October 18th. They issued a "neutral" rating and a $56.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price objective on Kroger from $62.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, September 13th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $60.09.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related 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 value of $167,265.70. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 47,593 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,644,743.01. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Kroger news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,010 shares of Kroger 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 47,593 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,644,743.01. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 6,922 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.80, for a total value of $386,247.60. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 14,063 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $784,715.40. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 12,932 shares of company stock valued at $721,243 over the last ninety days. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.