The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Purchased by Deutsche Bank AG

Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 16.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 3,417,693 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 492,317 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG owned about 0.47% of Kroger worth $208,992,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its position 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 last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC lifted 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 buying an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased 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 buying an additional 166 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 23,410 shares of the company's stock worth $1,432,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. raised its stake in Kroger by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 4,260 shares of the company's stock valued at $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.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total value of $2,162,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 97,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,043,905.59. The trade was a 23.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 52,861 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,521,599.82. The trade was a 34.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124 in the last ninety days. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the topic of several recent research reports. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price objective on Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 6th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Melius downgraded shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $58.00 price target on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $67.06.

Kroger Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of KR stock traded down $1.54 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $67.50. The stock had a trading volume of 9,421,889 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,671,591. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The firm's 50-day moving average is $68.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $63.57. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.61 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $49.04 and a 12-month high of $73.63.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. On average, analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders 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 1.90%. Kroger's payout ratio is 34.88%.

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.