Retireful LLC Sells 4,877 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Retireful LLC trimmed its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 42.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,698 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,877 shares during the period. Retireful LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $447,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE KR traded down $0.19 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $66.15. The company had a trading volume of 4,653,665 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,734,628. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $73.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.72 billion, a PE ratio of 17.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58. The stock's 50 day moving average is $69.18 and its 200-day moving average is $64.66.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $34.31 billion for 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's payout ratio is 34.88%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kroger news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total transaction of $2,162,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 97,737 shares in the company, valued at $7,043,905.59. This represents a 23.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 11,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $65.37, for a total transaction of $719,070.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 127,106 shares of the company's stock, valued at $8,308,919.22. This trade represents a 7.96% 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 three months. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Melius Research upgraded Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on 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 reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.06.

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.