The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Position Decreased by Maj Invest Holding A S

Maj Invest Holding A S decreased its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 5.1% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 2,128,230 shares of the company's stock after selling 113,574 shares during the quarter. Kroger makes up about 5.2% of Maj Invest Holding A S's investment portfolio, making the stock its 8th largest position. Maj Invest Holding A S owned 0.32% of Kroger worth $144,060,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its stake in Kroger by 27.3% in the fourth quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 15,733 shares of the company's stock worth $962,000 after purchasing an additional 3,373 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $70,000. Keybank National Association OH raised its position in shares of Kroger by 0.7% during the fourth quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 23,410 shares of the company's stock worth $1,432,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the period. Assetmark Inc. raised its position in shares of Kroger by 239.9% during the fourth quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 13,481 shares of the company's stock worth $824,000 after purchasing an additional 9,515 shares during the period. Finally, Atria Investments Inc raised its position in shares of Kroger by 2.1% during the fourth quarter. Atria Investments Inc now owns 43,599 shares of the company's stock worth $2,666,000 after purchasing an additional 910 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on KR shares. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, June 17th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Melius Research raised Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 target price on Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $70.00.

Kroger Trading Up 0.7%

KR stock traded up $0.46 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $70.20. The company had a trading volume of 4,807,294 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,890,856. The business has a 50-day moving average of $69.01 and a 200-day moving average of $66.10. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $50.69 and a one year high of $74.11. The stock has a market cap of $46.39 billion, a PE ratio of 19.13, a PEG ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.59. 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 announced its earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 1.76%. The business had revenue of $45.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $45.35 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.43 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was down .3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.99%. This is a positive change from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In related news, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total value of $2,749,822.40. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 75,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,448,791.92. This represents a 33.54% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 97,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at $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 244,462 shares of company stock valued at $17,649,963 over the last three months. 0.44% of the stock is currently 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.