10,041 Shares in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Purchased by Ameriflex Group Inc.

Ameriflex Group Inc. acquired a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 10,041 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $619,000.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 18,045 shares of the company's stock worth $1,103,000 after buying an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 2.4% in the fourth quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 6,704 shares of the company's stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,834 shares of the company's stock valued at $479,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.7% in the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 23,410 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,432,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 174 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Price Performance

KR traded up $1.12 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $68.07. 3,386,508 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,670,751. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.02, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. 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 Kroger Co. has a one year low of $49.04 and a one year high of $73.63. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.06 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $64.43.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. As a group, research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.88%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total value of $86,723.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 12,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $806,523.90. The trade was a 9.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 4,492 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.53, for a total transaction of $298,852.76. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $231,524.40. This represents a 56.35% 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. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Citigroup upped their price objective on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.06.

Kroger 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.