Flavin Financial Services Inc. Increases Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Flavin Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 12.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,604 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 723 shares during the period. Flavin Financial Services Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $447,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $351,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 8.8% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 307,790 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,834,000 after buying an additional 24,849 shares during the period. Coordinated Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $282,000. Finally, Mitchell Capital Management Co. purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $5,870,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Trading Down 1.6%

Kroger stock opened at $72.21 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $69.15 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $65.47. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $49.04 and a 12 month high of $74.11. The company has a market capitalization of $47.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.19 and a beta of 0.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $45.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.35 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 1.76%. The company’s quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $1.43 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on KR shares. Melius Research upgraded Kroger from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Kroger from $71.00 to $76.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, June 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Guggenheim lifted their price target on Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $69.47.

Insider Activity

In other Kroger news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 5,541 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.79, for a total value of $392,247.39. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,480 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $246,349.20. This represents a 61.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Yael Cosset sold 71,224 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.49, for a total value of $5,234,251.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 139,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,224,222.76. This represents a 33.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 207,793 shares of company stock valued at $14,938,358 over the last ninety days. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate 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.