21,191 Shares in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Acquired by Boothbay Fund Management LLC

Boothbay Fund Management LLC purchased a new position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 21,191 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,296,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Kroger by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 82,223,697 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,027,979,000 after acquiring an additional 773,182 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.6% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,436,688 shares of the company's stock worth $1,002,479,000 after acquiring an additional 416,962 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,113,596 shares of the company's stock valued at $863,060,000 after buying an additional 120,250 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $598,390,000. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its position in Kroger by 39.1% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,054,824 shares of the company's stock valued at $431,402,000 after buying an additional 1,981,259 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Kroger stock traded down $0.19 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $71.99. 6,206,369 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,599,470. The Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $49.04 and a 52-week high of $73.63. The firm's 50 day moving average is $67.31 and its 200 day moving average is $62.75. The stock has a market cap of $47.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business 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 1.78%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other Kroger news, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 13,867 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.82, for a total transaction of $995,927.94. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 75,218 shares in the company, valued at $5,402,156.76. This represents a 15.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was 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 directly owns 97,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,043,905.59. This trade represents a 23.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on KR shares. 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. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Melius Research lowered Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Melius lowered shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $58.00 price target on the stock. in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Roth Capital set a $58.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $67.06.

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.