Hussman Strategic Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 31,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,132,000.
Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
KR has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. UBS Group reissued a "neutral" rating and issued a $74.00 price objective (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Melius Research upgraded Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 target price on Kroger and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 target price on Kroger and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $70.00.
Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on Kroger
Kroger Stock Up 0.2%
Kroger stock traded up $0.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $72.36. 729,140 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,146,613. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The stock has a market cap of $47.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.75, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.59. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $50.69 and a 1-year high of $74.11. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $68.88 and a two-hundred day moving average of $66.53.
Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $45.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.35 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.76% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The business's quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.43 earnings per share. As a group, analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Kroger Increases Dividend
The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a $0.35 dividend. This is an increase from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.88%.
Insider Buying and Selling
In related news, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total value of $2,749,822.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 75,218 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,448,791.92. This trade represents a 33.54% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Timothy A. Massa sold 8,415 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.00, for a total transaction of $622,710.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 118,761 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,788,314. This represents a 6.62% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 243,815 shares of company stock valued at $17,652,983 in the last quarter. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.
About Kroger
(
Free Report)
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.
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