The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C.

Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. decreased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 38.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 813,963 shares of the company's stock after selling 513,318 shares during the quarter. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. owned 0.11% of Kroger worth $49,774,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. increased its holdings in 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 during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC grew its position 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 acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its stake in 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 acquiring an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.7% in the fourth 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 last quarter. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. increased its position in Kroger by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 4,260 shares of the company's stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on KR shares. Morgan Stanley upped their target price on Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price objective on Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price target on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $66.50.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR stock traded up $0.51 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $71.89. The stock had a trading volume of 2,188,305 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,540,243. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $67.02 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $62.56. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $49.04 and a one year high of $73.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.02, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.96 billion. Equities analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total transaction of $7,839,343.92. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 139,338 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,486,131.04. The trade was a 45.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total value of $1,872,355.10. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 52,861 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,521,599.82. The trade was a 34.71 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Kroger Company 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.