Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm bought 6,673 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $409,000.
Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Avanza Fonder AB bought a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $4,210,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in Kroger by 0.6% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,164,855 shares of the company's stock valued at $353,246,000 after purchasing an additional 37,222 shares during the period. Sylvest Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $1,132,000. Donoghue Forlines LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth $2,130,000. Finally, Flavin Financial Services Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $360,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.
Kroger Stock Performance
NYSE:KR traded up $0.53 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $69.49. 6,526,861 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,680,400. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.38, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. 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 simple moving average of $68.70 and a 200-day simple moving average of $64.02. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.
Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its 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. The firm had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. 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 disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.
Insider Activity
In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total transaction of $86,723.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 12,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at $806,523.90. The trade was a 9.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total value 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 approximately $3,521,599.82. This represents a 34.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124. 1.40% of the stock is owned by company insiders.
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on KR. Melius raised Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Melius Research downgraded Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Citigroup increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lifted their price target on Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $68.06.
Get Our Latest Analysis on Kroger
About Kroger
(
Free Report)
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.
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