Arjuna Capital Has $5.73 Million Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Arjuna Capital lessened its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 10.3% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 84,623 shares of the company's stock after selling 9,711 shares during the period. Kroger makes up 1.6% of Arjuna Capital's holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Arjuna Capital's holdings in Kroger were worth $5,728,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.7% in the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 12,545 shares of the company's stock worth $850,000 after buying an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 3.7% in the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,429 shares of the company's stock valued at $435,000 after purchasing an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $351,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $223,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in Kroger by 8.8% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 307,790 shares of the company's stock worth $20,834,000 after acquiring an additional 24,849 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Timothy A. Massa sold 8,415 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $74.00, for a total value of $622,710.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 118,761 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $8,788,314. This represents a 6.62% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.79, for a total value of $1,215,690.25. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 49,360 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,642,274.40. This represents a 25.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 240,005 shares of company stock valued at $17,380,149. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE KR traded up $0.05 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $71.93. The stock had a trading volume of 5,392,119 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,920,451. The company has a market capitalization of $47.54 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.60, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.59. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $68.88 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $66.41. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $50.69 and a 52 week high of $74.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.95.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $45.35 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 1.76%. The company's revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $1.43 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.95%. This is a boost from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on KR shares. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Melius Research upgraded shares of Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 21st. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Kroger presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.00.

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.