Bremer Bank National Association Boosts Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Bremer Bank National Association increased its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 8.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 76,667 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 6,036 shares during the period. Bremer Bank National Association's holdings in Kroger were worth $5,190,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kroger news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total transaction of $7,839,343.92. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 139,338 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,486,131.04. This trade represents a 45.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total transaction of $86,723.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 12,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $806,523.90. This represents a 9.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 306,818 shares of company stock worth $20,994,769 in the last three months. 0.44% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have weighed in on KR. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Melius upgraded shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Eight investment 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.06.

Kroger Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of Kroger stock traded down $0.13 during trading on Friday, hitting $66.11. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,136,978 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,743,651. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $69.11 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $64.77. The company has a market capitalization of $43.69 billion, a PE ratio of 17.49, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $49.04 and a 52 week high of $73.63.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued 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 company had revenue of $34.31 billion during 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%. Equities research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.94%. Kroger's payout ratio is 34.88%.

Kroger 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.