Ensign Peak Advisors Inc Increases Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Ensign Peak Advisors Inc raised its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 19.8% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 1,249,092 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 206,136 shares during the period. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc owned 0.17% of Kroger worth $76,382,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the third quarter worth $95,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of Kroger by 4.8% during the third quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 884,609 shares of the company's stock valued at $50,688,000 after purchasing an additional 40,914 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,164,855 shares of the company's stock worth $353,246,000 after purchasing an additional 37,222 shares during the last quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 35.3% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 1,081 shares of the company's stock worth $66,000 after buying an additional 282 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 160,746 shares of the company's stock valued at $9,211,000 after buying an additional 485 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Down 2.2%

Shares of NYSE KR traded down $1.54 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $67.50. 9,421,889 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,671,591. 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 stock has a market cap of $44.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $68.44 and a 200 day moving average of $63.57. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $49.04 and a 1 year high of $73.63.

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, beating 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 business had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.96 billion. On average, research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total transaction 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 $3,521,599.82. This represents a 34.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.44, for a total transaction of $2,083,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 127,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,870,057.28. The trade was a 19.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124 over the last 90 days. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on KR shares. StockNews.com downgraded Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Guggenheim upped their price objective on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Melius downgraded Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $58.00 price target for the company. in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, Melius Research downgraded shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger 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.