Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. Has $81.87 Million Stock Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. reduced its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 40.3% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,209,430 shares of the company's stock after selling 817,297 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. owned 0.18% of Kroger worth $81,866,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Garde Capital Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter worth about $31,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on KR shares. Roth Capital set a $58.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, June 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $82.00 price objective (up from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, June 20th. Finally, UBS Group reiterated a "neutral" rating and issued a $74.00 price objective (up from $66.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.00.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR traded up $0.12 on Friday, reaching $71.40. 8,981,889 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,885,702. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $74.11. The company has a fifty day moving average of $69.15 and a 200-day moving average of $65.57. The company has a market capitalization of $47.19 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.45, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $45.12 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $45.35 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 1.76%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $1.43 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.96%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger's payout ratio is 34.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $69.44, for a total transaction of $2,083,200.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 127,737 shares in the company, valued at $8,870,057.28. This represents a 19.02% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Yael Cosset sold 71,224 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.49, for a total value of $5,234,251.76. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 139,124 shares in the company, valued at $10,224,222.76. This trade represents a 33.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 245,753 shares of company stock valued at $17,688,180 over the last quarter. 0.44% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.