80,736 Shares in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Acquired by Element Capital Management LLC

Element Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 80,736 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,986,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in KR. Clear Street Markets LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 20.6% during the 1st quarter. Clear Street Markets LLC now owns 1,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $63,000 after acquiring an additional 218 shares in the last quarter. United Capital Financial Advisers LLC lifted its holdings 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 valued at $664,000 after acquiring an additional 221 shares in the last quarter. IHT Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 3.4% during the 1st 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 in the last quarter. MCF Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 12.6% during the 1st quarter. MCF Advisors LLC now owns 1,995 shares of the company’s stock valued at $98,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Acorn Wealth Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 5.0% during the 1st quarter. Acorn Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 4,783 shares of the company’s stock valued at $236,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 78.98% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR traded up $0.33 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $45.35. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 2,042,285 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,039,662. The company has a current ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.11. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $47.53 and a 200 day moving average price of $47.43. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $41.81 and a one year high of $52.00. The company has a market cap of $32.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.48.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, June 15th. The company reported $1.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.46 by $0.05. Kroger had a net margin of 1.71% and a return on equity of 30.96%. The business had revenue of $45.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.26 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.45 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 1.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.52 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Kroger from $51.00 to $48.00 in a research note on Monday, June 19th. StockNews.com assumed coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, August 17th. They set a “buy” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft dropped their price target on shares of Kroger from $54.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Friday, June 16th. 3M reaffirmed a “maintains” rating on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, June 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of Kroger from $56.00 to $54.00 in a research report on Friday, June 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have given a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $52.41.

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.