The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Bought by Benedict Financial Advisors Inc.

Benedict Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 5.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 44,023 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 2,427 shares during the period. Benedict Financial Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $2,692,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 4.6% during the 4th quarter. Richard C. Young & CO. LTD. now owns 149,885 shares of the company’s stock worth $9,165,000 after purchasing an additional 6,595 shares during the period. Empirical Finance LLC boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 40.0% in the 4th quarter. Empirical Finance LLC now owns 32,177 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,968,000 after buying an additional 9,196 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 184.7% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 245,616 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,019,000 after purchasing an additional 159,351 shares in the last quarter. D Orazio & Associates Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $238,000. Finally, Kingsview Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in Kroger by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. Kingsview Wealth Management LLC now owns 186,527 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,406,000 after buying an additional 16,425 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $65.00 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $44.49 and a 1-year high of $65.75. The company’s fifty day moving average is $60.83 and its two-hundred day moving average is $57.43. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.04 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.47.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The firm had revenue of $33.63 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.95 EPS. The firm’s revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.97%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 33.86%.

Kroger announced that its board has initiated a share 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. BNP Paribas began coverage on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, October 18th. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price objective for the company. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday. UBS Group increased their target price on Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. BMO Capital Markets increased their target price on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the stock a “market perform” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, December 23rd. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Timothy A. Massa sold 25,889 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, December 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $60.12, for a total value of $1,556,446.68. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 115,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,965,563.32. This represents a 18.26 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 195,448 shares of company stock worth $12,143,923. 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.