Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. Has $62,000 Stock Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. lifted its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 37.3% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 916 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 249 shares during the quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $62,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 18,045 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,103,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its position in Kroger by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 8,049 shares of the company’s stock worth $545,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC boosted its position in Kroger by 2.4% during the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 6,704 shares of the company’s stock worth $410,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its position in Kroger by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,834 shares of the company’s stock worth $479,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Finally, Keybank National Association OH boosted its position in Kroger by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 23,410 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,432,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other Kroger news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 31,271 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.08, for a total value 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.44, for a total value of $2,083,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 127,737 shares in the company, valued at $8,870,057.28. This trade represents a 19.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 138,638 shares of company stock valued at $9,632,165. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the subject of a number of research reports. Guggenheim raised their price objective on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and set a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price objective on Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Melius upgraded Kroger from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $70.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. 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. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $68.06.

Kroger Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of KR stock opened at $65.52 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $68.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $65.04. 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 twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $73.63. The company 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.

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.