Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH Sells 23,278 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH lowered its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 69.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,432 shares of the company's stock after selling 23,278 shares during the period. Siemens Fonds Invest GmbH's holdings in Kroger were worth $638,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Kroger Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $68.79 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $45.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.20, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. 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 Kroger Co. has a 52-week low of $49.04 and a 52-week high of $73.63. The company's 50 day moving average price is $68.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $63.84.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Morgan Stanley boosted their price target on Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $67.06.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 97,737 shares in the company, valued at $7,043,905.59. This represents a 23.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total transaction of $86,723.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at $806,523.90. The trade was a 9.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate 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.

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