Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio Has $17.34 Million Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio lessened its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 5.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 283,477 shares of the company's stock after selling 16,309 shares during the quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio's holdings in Kroger were worth $17,335,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KR. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Performance

KR traded up $1.24 during trading on Friday, reaching $68.19. 2,942,551 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,669,195. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $49.04 and a 52 week high of $73.63. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $69.06 and a 200 day moving average of $64.43. The stock has a market cap of $45.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.04, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 firm had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.96 billion. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts recently commented on KR shares. Melius raised shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Melius Research upgraded Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday, February 4th. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $73.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Roth Capital set a $58.00 target price on Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total value of $86,723.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at $806,523.90. The trade was a 9.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 11,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.37, for a total value of $719,070.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 127,106 shares in the company, valued at $8,308,919.22. This represents a 7.96% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124. 0.44% of the stock is 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.