Fluent Financial LLC Cuts Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Fluent Financial LLC cut its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 10.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 81,682 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,013 shares during the period. Kroger comprises approximately 2.2% of Fluent Financial LLC's holdings, making the stock its 11th largest holding. Fluent Financial LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $4,995,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of KR. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $598,390,000. Steadfast Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at $277,989,000. Junto Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth $264,207,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth $123,829,000. Finally, FMR LLC boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 39.1% in the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,054,824 shares of the company's stock worth $431,402,000 after purchasing an additional 1,981,259 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on KR. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Melius raised Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Evercore ISI boosted their price target on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.06.

Kroger Price Performance

KR traded down $0.81 during trading on Thursday, hitting $66.89. 7,305,600 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,679,518. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $73.63. The company has a market cap of $44.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.69, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $69.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $64.38.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. Equities research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.91%. Kroger's payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total value of $7,839,343.92. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 139,338 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,486,131.04. The trade was a 45.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total transaction of $2,162,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 97,737 shares in the company, valued at $7,043,905.59. This trade represents a 23.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124. 0.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.