Cutler Investment Counsel LLC Cuts Stock Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Cutler Investment Counsel LLC trimmed its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 199,602 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,396 shares during the period. Cutler Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $9,124,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 12.2% in the first quarter. ICA Group Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,880 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares in the last quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its holdings in Kroger by 1.2% in the 1st quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 17,802 shares of the company’s stock valued at $879,000 after purchasing an additional 206 shares in the last quarter. United Capital Financial Advisers LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.9% during the 1st quarter. United Capital Financial Advisers LLC now owns 11,571 shares of the company’s stock worth $664,000 after buying an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 3.4% in the first quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,693 shares of the company’s stock valued at $384,000 after acquiring an additional 222 shares during the period. Finally, Moors & Cabot Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.7% in the 3rd quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 8,839 shares of the company’s stock valued at $396,000 after purchasing an additional 236 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Trading Up 1.6 %

Shares of KR stock traded up $0.90 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $56.47. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,990,307 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,937,661. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $53.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $47.74. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $42.10 and a 12-month high of $58.34. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.75 billion, a PE ratio of 18.93, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.48.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.13 by $0.21. Kroger had a return on equity of 31.44% and a net margin of 1.44%. The business had revenue of $37.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.07 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.99 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.05%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.19%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price objective for the stock from $58.00 to $65.00 in a report on Tuesday. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 19th. Telsey Advisory Group boosted their target price on Kroger from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. BNP Paribas reissued an “underperform” rating and issued a $48.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.17.

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.