Banco Santander S.A. Has $9.03 Million Stock Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Key Points

• Banco Santander S.A. reduced its holdings in The Kroger Co. by 63.5%, selling 231,998 shares, leaving it with 133,464 shares valued at $9,034,000.
• The Kroger Co. recently increased its quarterly dividend to $0.35, resulting in an annual yield of 2.0%, reflecting positive growth compared to its previous dividend of $0.32.
• Recent analyst ratings indicate a mix of sentiments, with a consensus "Hold" rating and target price revisions ranging from $67.00 to $83.00, signaling cautious optimism about the stock's prospects.

Banco Santander S.A. trimmed its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 63.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 133,464 shares of the company's stock after selling 231,998 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $9,034,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new stake in Kroger in the first quarter valued at $31,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $34,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 46.7% in the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 550 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth about $49,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The stock was 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction of $2,749,822.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 75,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,448,791.92. This represents a 33.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 198,948 shares of company stock worth $14,422,926 over the last 90 days. 0.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Melius Research raised shares of Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and issued a $74.00 price target (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Ten research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.16.

Kroger Price Performance

KR stock traded down $0.27 during trading on Thursday, reaching $73.46. 1,079,469 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,067,229. The company has a market capitalization of $48.55 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a 50-day moving average of $69.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $67.64. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $50.69 and a twelve month high of $74.11.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 1.89% and a return on equity of 34.71%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.43 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company 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 $0.35 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. This is an increase from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

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.