Rafferty Asset Management LLC Has $3.95 Million Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Rafferty Asset Management LLC increased its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 9.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 64,543 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 5,617 shares during the period. Rafferty Asset Management LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $3,947,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $598,390,000. Junto Capital Management LP acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $264,207,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $123,829,000. FMR LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 39.1% during the 4th quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,054,824 shares of the company's stock valued at $431,402,000 after acquiring an additional 1,981,259 shares during the period. Finally, Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 1,045.0% in the 4th quarter. Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC now owns 1,562,600 shares of the company's stock valued at $95,553,000 after purchasing an additional 1,426,131 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Price Performance

KR traded up $0.66 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $68.61. 5,516,759 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,668,094. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $45.34 billion, a PE ratio of 18.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. The business's 50-day moving average price is $68.86 and its 200 day moving average price is $64.21. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $49.04 and a 1-year high of $73.63.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.87%. Kroger's payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Roth Capital set a $58.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Guggenheim increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $68.06.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total value of $7,839,343.92. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 139,338 shares in the company, valued at $9,486,131.04. This represents a 45.25% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total transaction of $1,872,355.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 52,861 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,521,599.82. The trade was a 34.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124 over the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

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.