Achmea Investment Management B.V. Acquires 66,983 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Achmea Investment Management B.V. increased its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 17.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 452,273 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 66,983 shares during the quarter. Achmea Investment Management B.V. owned 0.07% of Kroger worth $30,614,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $351,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth $223,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Kroger by 8.8% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 307,790 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,834,000 after purchasing an additional 24,849 shares during the period. Coordinated Financial Services Inc. bought a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $282,000. Finally, Mitchell Capital Management Co. acquired a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $5,870,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kroger news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 5,541 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, April 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.79, for a total transaction of $392,247.39. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $246,349.20. The trade was a 61.42% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 31,271 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.08, for a total transaction of $2,160,200.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 82,684 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,711,810.72. This trade represents a 27.44% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 245,753 shares of company stock worth $17,688,180. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $71.25 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $49.04 and a 12 month high of $74.11. The firm's 50 day moving average is $69.15 and its 200 day moving average is $65.57. 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 capitalization of $47.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.41, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.35 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.76% and a return on equity of 30.01%. Kroger's revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.43 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This is an increase from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.96%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KR has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday. Melius raised Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Melius Research raised shares of Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, UBS Group reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $74.00 target price (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $70.00.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.