The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Acquired by Mackenzie Financial Corp

Mackenzie Financial Corp raised its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 24.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 794,154 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 154,420 shares during the quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp owned about 0.11% of Kroger worth $48,563,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in Kroger by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,164,855 shares of the company's stock worth $353,246,000 after buying an additional 37,222 shares during the last quarter. Sylvest Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $1,132,000. Flavin Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth about $360,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 78.5% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 37,371 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,285,000 after buying an additional 16,440 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 17.5% in the fourth quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 94,644 shares of the company's stock worth $5,856,000 after buying an additional 14,078 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:KR traded down $0.18 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $67.65. 5,942,163 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,671,490. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $49.04 and a 1 year high of $73.63. 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 firm's 50-day simple moving average is $68.98 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.36. The firm has a market cap of $44.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.90, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $73.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Melius Research upgraded Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Melius upgraded shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $68.06.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total value of $86,723.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,523.90. The trade was a 9.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 4,492 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.53, for a total transaction of $298,852.76. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $231,524.40. This trade represents a 56.35% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.