Blair William & Co. IL Sells 8,153 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Key Points

• Blair William & Co. IL reduced its stake in Kroger Co. by 5.1%, selling 8,153 shares to hold a total of 151,259 shares worth approximately $10.24 million as of the latest SEC filing.
• Kroger recently announced a quarterly dividend increase to $0.35 per share, reflecting an annualized dividend yield of 2.0%, up from the previous $0.32 per share.
• After its latest earnings report, Kroger's earnings per share (EPS) of $1.49 surpassed expectations, although quarterly revenue declined by 0.3% year-over-year, coming in at $45.12 billion.

Blair William & Co. IL reduced its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 5.1% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 151,259 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,153 shares during the quarter. Blair William & Co. IL's holdings in Kroger were worth $10,239,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger in the first quarter worth about $31,000. Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 46.7% during the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 550 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $49,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE KR traded up $0.01 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $73.74. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,727,467 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,133,667. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $50.69 and a 1 year high of $74.25. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The company has a market capitalization of $48.74 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.09, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.59. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $69.81 and its 200-day moving average price is $67.75.

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. This is a positive change 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 presently 34.88%.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger news, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total transaction of $2,437,230.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 184,473 shares in the company, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 3,810 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Wednesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total transaction of $272,834.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 85,850 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,147,718.50. The trade was a 4.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 198,948 shares of company stock valued at $14,422,926. 0.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on KR shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen cut Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Saturday, August 2nd. Barclays assumed coverage on Kroger in a research report on Monday, July 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Ten investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $70.16.

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.