348,521 Shares in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Purchased by Kesler Norman & Wride LLC

Kesler Norman & Wride LLC purchased a new stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 348,521 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $23,591,000. Kroger comprises approximately 4.5% of Kesler Norman & Wride LLC's holdings, making the stock its biggest position. Kesler Norman & Wride LLC owned 0.05% of Kroger as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Garde Capital Inc. purchased a new stake in Kroger in the first quarter worth approximately $31,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kroger news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total value of $2,162,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 97,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,043,905.59. This trade represents a 23.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Yael Cosset sold 71,224 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.49, for a total transaction of $5,234,251.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 139,124 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,224,222.76. The trade was a 33.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 244,462 shares of company stock worth $17,649,963. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE KR traded down $0.23 on Friday, reaching $70.48. The company had a trading volume of 4,192,063 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,892,258. The company has a quick ratio of 0.53, a current ratio of 0.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.58 billion, a PE ratio of 19.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.26 and a beta of 0.59. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $68.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.19. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $50.69 and a 12 month high of $74.11.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $45.35 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.43 EPS. The business's revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders 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. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.99%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

KR has been the topic of several research reports. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 target price on shares of Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $74.00 price target (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Melius upgraded shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, June 21st. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.