Mariner Investment Group LLC Trims Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Mariner Investment Group LLC reduced its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 50.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 10,000 shares of the company's stock after selling 10,000 shares during the period. Kroger comprises approximately 0.3% of Mariner Investment Group LLC's holdings, making the stock its 21st largest position. Mariner Investment Group LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $677,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of KR. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Garde Capital Inc. bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the first quarter worth about $31,000. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Finally, Aster Capital Management DIFC Ltd purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

KR stock traded up $0.69 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $72.71. The company had a trading volume of 3,687,374 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,929,404. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $68.86 and a 200-day simple moving average of $66.67. The company has a market cap of $48.06 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a current ratio of 0.95. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $50.69 and a twelve month high of $74.11.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. The firm had revenue of $45.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.35 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 1.76%. Kroger's revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.43 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company 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 dividend of $0.35 per share. This is a positive change from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Kroger's payout ratio is 34.88%.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 26,814 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, July 11th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.50, for a total value of $1,890,387.00. Following the completion of the sale, the director owned 99,143 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,989,581.50. This represents a 21.29% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total value of $2,437,230.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 184,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,127,098.68. The trade was a 15.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 228,948 shares of company stock worth $16,585,026 in the last quarter. 0.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on KR shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased 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. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Barclays began coverage on Kroger in a report on Monday. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 price target on the stock. UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $74.00 price objective (up previously from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $82.00 price target (up previously from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, June 20th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.25.

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.