51,500 Shares in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Acquired by Genus Capital Management Inc.

Genus Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 51,500 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,486,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in Kroger by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 82,223,697 shares of the company's stock worth $5,027,979,000 after buying an additional 773,182 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Kroger by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,436,688 shares of the company's stock worth $1,002,479,000 after buying an additional 416,962 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its stake in Kroger by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,113,596 shares of the company's stock worth $863,060,000 after buying an additional 120,250 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth $598,390,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its stake in Kroger by 13.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,829,401 shares of the company's stock worth $478,768,000 after buying an additional 916,230 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other Kroger news, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total transaction of $2,437,230.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 184,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,127,098.68. This represents a 15.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Yael Cosset sold 71,224 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 139,124 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,224,222.76. This represents a 33.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 244,462 shares of company stock valued at $17,649,963. 0.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE KR traded down $0.23 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $70.48. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,192,063 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,892,258. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.59. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $50.69 and a 1-year high of $74.11. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The company's 50-day moving average is $68.94 and its two-hundred day moving average is $66.19.

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.99%. This is a boost from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KR has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Melius upgraded Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Guggenheim boosted their price target on Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Wall Street Zen upgraded Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, June 21st. Finally, Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price target on Kroger and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Nine investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $70.00.

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.