The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Bought by NBC Securities Inc.

NBC Securities Inc. lifted its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 108,369.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,101 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 14,088 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $954,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its position in Kroger by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 18,045 shares of the company's stock worth $1,103,000 after purchasing an additional 154 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC boosted its position in Kroger by 2.0% during the 1st quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 8,049 shares of the company's stock worth $545,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares during the period. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC boosted its position in Kroger by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 6,704 shares of the company's stock valued at $410,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its position in Kroger by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,834 shares of the company's stock valued at $479,000 after buying an additional 166 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Keybank National Association OH boosted its position in Kroger by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 23,410 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,432,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE:KR traded down $0.19 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $66.15. 4,653,665 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,726,670. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.50, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $49.04 and a 52 week high of $73.63. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $69.18 and a 200-day simple moving average of $64.66.

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

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on KR. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Guggenheim upped 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. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Melius raised shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight equities research 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 data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $68.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 4,492 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.53, for a total value of $298,852.76. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 3,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at $231,524.40. This represents a 56.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the firm's 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,523.90. The trade was a 9.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124. 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.