The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Forsta AP Fonden

Key Points

• Forsta AP Fonden sold 77,400 shares of The Kroger Co., reducing its position by 34.0%, leaving it with 150,400 shares valued at $10,181,000.
• Kroger recently declared an increased quarterly dividend of $0.35 per share, up from $0.32, indicating a commitment to returning value to shareholders.
• Despite a slight revenue decline of .3% year-over-year, Kroger reported earnings of $1.49 per share, surpassing analyst expectations by $0.04.

Forsta AP Fonden decreased its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 34.0% in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 150,400 shares of the company's stock after selling 77,400 shares during the quarter. Forsta AP Fonden's holdings in Kroger were worth $10,181,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of KR. Accent Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the first quarter worth about $25,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in Kroger in the first quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Sound Income Strategies LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 46.7% in the first quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 550 shares of the company's stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 175 shares during the period. Finally, Accredited Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $70.50, for a total value of $1,890,387.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 99,143 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,989,581.50. This represents a 21.29% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Yael Cosset sold 71,224 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.49, for a total value of $5,234,251.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 139,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,224,222.76. This trade represents a 33.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 198,948 shares of company stock worth $14,422,926. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have issued reports on KR shares. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Barclays started coverage on Kroger in a report on Monday, July 21st. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 price target for the company. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $82.00 price target (up from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, June 20th. Melius upgraded Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $70.53.

Kroger Trading Down 1.9%

NYSE:KR traded down $1.35 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $68.98. The company had a trading volume of 2,719,430 shares, compared to its average volume of 7,107,188. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The company has a 50-day moving average of $70.27 and a 200 day moving average of $68.15. The company has a market cap of $45.59 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.84, a P/E/G ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 0.59. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $50.69 and a 1 year high of $74.90.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. The company had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $45.35 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 34.71% and a net margin of 1.89%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.43 EPS. Sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

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

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.