J2 Capital Management Inc Takes $817,000 Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

J2 Capital Management Inc bought a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 13,364 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $817,000. Kroger comprises about 0.8% of J2 Capital Management Inc's holdings, making the stock its 23rd biggest position.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Altshuler Shaham Ltd acquired a new stake in Kroger during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Northwest Investment Counselors LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the third quarter worth $34,000. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. raised its position in Kroger by 218.8% in the second quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 714 shares of the company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 490 shares in the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at $43,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the subject of several research reports. Guggenheim began coverage on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, December 19th. They issued a "buy" rating and a $68.00 price objective for the company. Roth Mkm lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and increased their price target for the stock from $54.00 to $73.00 in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $69.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, January 6th. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $65.93.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger news, SVP Stuart Aitken sold 132,627 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.18, for a total value of $8,379,373.86. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 217,523 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,743,103.14. This trade represents a 37.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total value of $1,040,302.08. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 53,782 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,304,366.08. This trade represents a 23.94 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 195,448 shares of company stock valued at $12,143,923. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE KR traded down $0.28 on Friday, reaching $58.34. The stock had a trading volume of 5,510,181 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,451,751. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The company has a market cap of $42.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.78 and a beta of 0.48. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $60.22 and a two-hundred day moving average of $56.57. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $44.48 and a 1-year high of $63.59.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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 analyst estimates of $34.19 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.95 earnings per share. Kroger's revenue for the quarter was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that authorizes the company to buyback $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the company to repurchase up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are generally a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

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.