The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) is Auxier Asset Management's 4th Largest Position

Auxier Asset Management trimmed its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 1.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 362,110 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,153 shares during the quarter. Kroger comprises 3.4% of Auxier Asset Management's portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. Auxier Asset Management owned about 0.05% of Kroger worth $22,143,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 18,045 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,103,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 159 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted 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 in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH lifted 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 4,260 shares of the company's stock worth $260,000 after acquiring an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on KR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup increased their price objective on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Melius Research upgraded Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Kroger has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.06.

Kroger Stock Performance

KR traded down $0.81 on Tuesday, reaching $67.78. The company had a trading volume of 6,367,095 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,668,459. The Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $49.04 and a fifty-two week high of $73.63. The stock has a market cap of $44.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.93, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. The company's fifty day moving average is $68.92 and its 200 day moving average is $64.34. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. Kroger's payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.03, for a total value of $72,030.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $754,370.19. The trade was a 8.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total value of $2,162,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 97,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,043,905.59. The trade was a 23.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

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.