Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. Has $5.03 Million Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. boosted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 228.1% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 74,374 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 51,708 shares during the period. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $5,034,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its stake in Kroger by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 18,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,103,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC raised its stake in Kroger by 2.0% in the first quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 8,049 shares of the company’s stock valued at $545,000 after buying an additional 155 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC raised its stake in Kroger by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 6,704 shares of the company’s stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $479,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the period. Finally, Keybank National Association OH increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 23,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,432,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently weighed in on KR shares. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $73.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday. Melius Research upgraded Kroger from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Citigroup increased their target price on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Finally, Guggenheim raised their price objective on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $68.11.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 31,271 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.08, for a total transaction of $2,160,200.68. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 82,684 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,711,810.72. This trade represents a 27.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 5,541 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.79, for a total value of $392,247.39. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,480 shares in the company, valued at approximately $246,349.20. This trade represents a 61.42% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 111,679 shares of company stock valued at $7,865,706. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Kroger Trading Up 9.7%

Shares of KR stock opened at $71.85 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $68.89 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $65.24. The company has a market cap of $47.48 billion, a PE ratio of 19.58, a P/E/G ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.58. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $49.04 and a fifty-two week high of $73.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a current ratio of 0.96.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share 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 28.17% and a net margin of 1.81%. The company’s revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $1.43 EPS. Equities analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.