Bank OZK Acquires 5,651 Shares of The Kroger Co. $KR

Key Points

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Bank OZK lifted its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 20.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 33,153 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,651 shares during the period. Bank OZK's holdings in Kroger were worth $2,244,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Accent Capital Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 46.7% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 550 shares of the company's stock worth $37,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, GKV Capital Management Co. Inc. bought a new stake in Kroger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Trading Up 0.2%

Kroger stock opened at $69.85 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $46.16 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.03, a PEG ratio of 2.22 and a beta of 0.59. 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 1 year low of $50.69 and a 1 year high of $74.90. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $70.49 and its 200-day moving average price is $68.43.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a net margin of 1.89% and a return on equity of 34.71%. The firm had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.35 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $1.43 earnings per share. Kroger's revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. This is a boost from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Kroger's payout ratio is 38.15%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have commented on KR. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Barclays began coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, July 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $80.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $70.53.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total value of $2,437,230.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 184,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,127,098.68. This trade represents a 15.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.50, for a total transaction of $1,890,387.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 99,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $6,989,581.50. This trade represents a 21.29% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 198,948 shares of company stock valued at $14,422,926 in the last 90 days. 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.

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