Sapient Capital LLC Cuts Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Sapient Capital LLC reduced its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 42.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,228 shares of the company’s stock after selling 3,139 shares during the period. Sapient Capital LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $286,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. 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 company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $49.04 and a fifty-two week high of $73.63. The stock has a market cap of $43.30 billion, a PE ratio of 17.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $68.87 and a 200-day moving average of $64.98.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KR has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup increased their target price on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Eight research 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’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $68.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 11,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.37, for a total transaction of $719,070.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 127,106 shares in the company, valued at $8,308,919.22. The trade was a 7.96% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, SVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 15,959 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.63, for a total value of $1,047,389.17. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 89,085 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,846,648.55. The trade was a 15.19% 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 in the last quarter. 0.44% 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.