DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main Sells 259,936 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main lessened its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 91.5% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 24,047 shares of the company's stock after selling 259,936 shares during the quarter. DZ BANK AG Deutsche Zentral Genossenschafts Bank Frankfurt am Main's holdings in Kroger were worth $1,470,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of KR. Principal Financial Group Inc. lifted its position in Kroger by 4.8% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 884,609 shares of the company's stock worth $50,688,000 after buying an additional 40,914 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,164,855 shares of the company's stock valued at $353,246,000 after purchasing an additional 37,222 shares in the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 35.3% during the 4th quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 1,081 shares of the company's stock worth $66,000 after purchasing an additional 282 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in Kroger by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 160,746 shares of the company's stock worth $9,211,000 after purchasing an additional 485 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Czech National Bank raised its holdings in Kroger by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 144,317 shares of the company's stock valued at $8,825,000 after buying an additional 9,044 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Performance

Kroger stock traded down $1.54 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $67.50. 9,421,889 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,671,591. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $68.44 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.57. The firm has a market cap of $44.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.86, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $49.04 and a fifty-two week high of $73.63.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.96 billion. On average, equities research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.90%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KR has been the topic of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup upped their price target on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Melius Research lowered shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Guggenheim increased their target price on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Two 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 stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $67.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total transaction of $86,723.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 12,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $806,523.90. This represents a 9.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total transaction of $1,872,355.10. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 52,861 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,521,599.82. This trade represents a 34.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124. Corporate 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.