Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC Reduces Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC trimmed its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 11.6% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,879 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,036 shares during the quarter. Wealthcare Advisory Partners LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $533,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $351,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $223,000. Coordinated Financial Services Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $282,000. Principal Securities Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 20.9% during the 4th quarter. Principal Securities Inc. now owns 7,415 shares of the company’s stock valued at $453,000 after buying an additional 1,280 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitchell Capital Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $5,870,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR opened at $65.52 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $49.04 and a one year high of $73.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $43.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.33, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $68.87 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on KR shares. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Kroger from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Guggenheim increased their target price on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.06.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 4,492 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.53, for a total transaction of $298,852.76. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $231,524.40. This represents a 56.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Yael Cosset sold 17,685 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.19, for a total transaction of $1,170,570.15. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 139,124 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,208,617.56. This represents a 11.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 160,815 shares of company stock worth $11,101,588 over the last three months. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

About Kroger

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.