Mufg Securities Americas Inc. Makes New $601,000 Investment in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Mufg Securities Americas Inc. bought a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 9,825 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $601,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of KR. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. grew its stake 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 buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,834 shares of the company's stock valued at $479,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 23,410 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,432,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its position in Kroger by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 4,260 shares of the company's stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of Kroger stock traded up $0.07 during trading on Monday, hitting $68.92. 4,784,332 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,670,850. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $49.04 and a 52 week high of $73.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The firm's fifty day moving average is $68.55 and its 200-day moving average is $63.89. The stock has a market cap of $45.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.23, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. Research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.86%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total transaction of $86,723.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,523.90. The trade was a 9.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total transaction of $2,162,100.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 97,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,043,905.59. The trade was a 23.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124 over the last three months. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Citigroup upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price target on Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $67.39.

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.