Gateway Investment Advisers LLC Decreases Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Gateway Investment Advisers LLC decreased its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 19.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 27,416 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,451 shares during the period. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $1,856,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Sovereign Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter valued at about $245,000. Procyon Advisors LLC boosted its position in Kroger by 144.1% during the first quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 14,052 shares of the company's stock valued at $951,000 after purchasing an additional 8,295 shares during the last quarter. Adamsbrown Wealth Consultants LLC grew its stake in Kroger by 125.1% in the first quarter. Adamsbrown Wealth Consultants LLC now owns 20,495 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,387,000 after purchasing an additional 11,391 shares in the last quarter. Curat Global LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $255,000. Finally, Safeguard Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter worth approximately $223,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE:KR traded down $0.12 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $65.37. The stock had a trading volume of 5,096,874 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,767,579. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $69.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $64.91. 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 Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $49.04 and a 12 month high of $73.63. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.20 billion, a PE ratio of 17.29, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.96%. Kroger's payout ratio is 34.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on KR shares. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Melius Research upgraded shares of Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Roth Capital set a $58.00 price target on Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $68.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kroger news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 4,492 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.53, for a total transaction of $298,852.76. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at $231,524.40. The trade was a 56.35% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the 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 completion of 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 position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 191,669 shares of company stock worth $13,155,425. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

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.