Retirement Systems of Alabama Has $43.14 Million Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Retirement Systems of Alabama reduced its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 1.0% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 637,293 shares of the company's stock after selling 6,650 shares during the period. Retirement Systems of Alabama owned about 0.10% of Kroger worth $43,138,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other Kroger news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 31,271 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.08, for a total value of $2,160,200.68. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 82,684 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,711,810.72. This represents a 27.44% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total value of $2,162,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 97,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,043,905.59. This trade represents a 23.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 111,679 shares of company stock valued at $7,865,706 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE:KR traded up $6.33 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $71.85. 35,151,293 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,879,011. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $68.89 and a two-hundred day moving average of $65.20. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $49.04 and a 12 month high of $73.63. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.96 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.96, a quick ratio of 0.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.13.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a return on equity of 28.17% and a net margin of 1.81%. The firm had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.35 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.43 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on KR shares. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Melius Research raised shares of Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Melius raised Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Guggenheim upped their price target on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note 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 issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.11.

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.