Kroger Company (The) (KR) Shares Sold by Aveo Capital Partners LLC

Aveo Capital Partners LLC reduced its position in Kroger Company (The) (NYSE:KR) by 4.8% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 19,403 shares of the company’s stock after selling 982 shares during the period. Aveo Capital Partners LLC’s holdings in Kroger Company (The) were worth $452,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Global X Management Co. LLC increased its stake in Kroger Company (The) by 12.4% in the second quarter. Global X Management Co. LLC now owns 7,357 shares of the company’s stock worth $172,000 after buying an additional 811 shares during the period. HL Financial Services LLC increased its stake in Kroger Company (The) by 28.8% in the second quarter. HL Financial Services LLC now owns 201,913 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,709,000 after buying an additional 45,090 shares during the period. Seven Bridges Advisors LLC increased its stake in Kroger Company (The) by 7.6% in the second quarter. Seven Bridges Advisors LLC now owns 11,100 shares of the company’s stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 784 shares during the period. Advisor Partners LLC increased its stake in Kroger Company (The) by 9.3% in the second quarter. Advisor Partners LLC now owns 14,070 shares of the company’s stock worth $328,000 after buying an additional 1,195 shares during the period. Finally, Goelzer Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Kroger Company (The) by 135.5% in the second quarter. Goelzer Investment Management Inc. now owns 177,870 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,148,000 after buying an additional 102,345 shares during the period. 77.44% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Shares of Kroger Company (KR) opened at 24.13 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $23.22 and a 200-day moving average of $28.79. The company has a market capitalization of $21.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.53 and a beta of 0.76. Kroger Company has a 12-month low of $20.46 and a 12-month high of $36.44.

Kroger Company (The) (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 15th. The company reported $0.58 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.58. The firm had revenue of $36.29 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $35.69 billion. Kroger Company (The) had a net margin of 1.35% and a return on equity of 29.10%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.70 earnings per share. Equities research analysts forecast that Kroger Company will post $1.98 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Company (The) announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, June 22nd that permits the company to buyback $1.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 4.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 15th will be paid a $0.125 dividend. This is an increase from Kroger Company (The)’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.12. This represents a $0.50 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.07%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 11th. Kroger Company (The)’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 28.92%.

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on KR. BidaskClub upgraded shares of Kroger Company (The) from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 31st. Vetr cut shares of Kroger Company (The) from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $26.26 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, July 25th. Royal Bank Of Canada set a $34.00 price target on shares of Kroger Company (The) and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, July 18th. Wells Fargo & Company reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $28.00 price target on shares of Kroger Company (The) in a research note on Sunday, July 2nd. Finally, Jefferies Group LLC reiterated a “hold” rating and set a $25.00 price target (down previously from $26.00) on shares of Kroger Company (The) in a research note on Friday, June 23rd. Nineteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. The stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $30.51.

In related news, Director Susan M. Phillips sold 6,200 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, June 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $21.17, for a total transaction of $131,254.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director now directly owns 124,105 shares in the company, valued at $2,627,302.85. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider J Michael Schlotman acquired 2,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 26th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $22.73 per share, with a total value of $45,460.00. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Company insiders own 0.87% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Company (The) Company Profile

The Kroger Co (Kroger) manufactures and processes food for sale in its supermarkets. The Company operates supermarkets, multi-department stores, jewelry stores and convenience stores throughout the United States. As of January 28, 2017, it had operated approximately 4,000 owned or leased supermarkets, convenience stores, fine jewelry stores, distribution warehouses and food production plants through divisions, subsidiaries or affiliates.

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