Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. Sells 26,312 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Crossmark Global Holdings Inc. lessened its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 30.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 59,923 shares of the company's stock after selling 26,312 shares during the period. Crossmark Global Holdings Inc.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $4,056,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new stake in Kroger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. bought a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 184,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $13,127,098.68. This represents a 15.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.79, for a total transaction 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 244,462 shares of company stock worth $17,649,963. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Price Performance

KR stock traded up $0.46 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $70.20. The company had a trading volume of 6,765,032 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,891,241. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $50.69 and a 1 year high of $74.11. The company has a market capitalization of $46.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.13, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.59. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $69.01 and a 200-day moving average price of $66.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a net margin of 1.76% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The company had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.43 EPS. The firm's revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.99%. This is an increase from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently weighed in on KR. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $82.00 price target (up from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, June 20th. UBS Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $74.00 price target (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $70.00.

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.