Why Are These Five Stocks in the Spotlight Today?

Kroger Co (NYSE:KR) is trending today after the analysts at Wells Fargo initiated an ‘Outperform’ rating on the stock. Although it is down by 1.5% today, the company’s stock has surged by over 30% year-to-date on the back of its strong private label program as well as higher same store sales. Given its deep consumer insights through loyalty cards, Kroger is also realizing record levels of efficiency. Among the funds we track, 42 investors reported long positions in Kroger as of the end of the third quarter, up from 33 funds a quarter earlier. At the end of September, the funds we track amassed 3.60% of the company’s outstanding stock.

The analysts at Mizuho are certainly a little more optimistic on Friday, as they initiated coverage with ‘Buy’ ratings on both Fitbit Inc (NYSE:FIT) and Under Armour Inc (NYSE:UA) with price targets of $38 and $95, respectively. Mizuho likes both companies’ strong EPS growth prospects, which are expected to be 32% a year for Fitbit and 23% for Under Armour for the next five years. The analysts also like Under Armour’s increasing level of brand awareness. Shares of Fitbit Inc (NYSE:FIT) are off by 0.5% and Under Armour Inc (NYSE:UA) is up 1.57% on the back of the upgrades. According to our data, a total of 23 funds were long Under Armour and 20 funds owned shares of Fitbit at the end of September.

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