Anfield Capital Management LLC Has $1.46 Million Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Key Points

• Anfield Capital Management LLC significantly increased its shares in Kroger Co. by 89,583.3%, owning 21,524 shares valued at approximately $1,457,000.
• Kroger recently declared a quarterly dividend increase from $0.32 to $0.35 per share, representing an annualized dividend of $1.40 and a yield of 1.9%.
• Wall Street analysts have mixed ratings on Kroger, with ten analysts issuing a "hold" rating and nine issuing a "buy" rating, leading to an average target price of $70.16.

Anfield Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 89,583.3% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 21,524 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 21,500 shares during the quarter. Anfield Capital Management LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $1,457,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Steadfast Capital Management LP bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth about $277,989,000. Junto Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $264,207,000. Nuveen LLC acquired a new position in Kroger during the 1st quarter valued at about $178,385,000. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. acquired a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $123,829,000. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Kroger by 7,363.9% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,706,397 shares of the company's stock valued at $115,506,000 after buying an additional 1,683,535 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, EVP Yael Cosset sold 71,224 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, June 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $73.49, for a total transaction of $5,234,251.76. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 139,124 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $10,224,222.76. The trade was a 33.86% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Friday, June 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total transaction of $2,437,230.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 184,473 shares in the company, valued at $13,127,098.68. This represents a 15.66% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 198,948 shares of company stock valued at $14,422,926 in the last three months. 0.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Kroger Stock Up 0.6%

NYSE KR traded up $0.44 during trading on Friday, hitting $69.67. 4,419,464 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,641,129. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $50.69 and a 12 month high of $74.90. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $70.40 and a 200 day simple moving average of $68.27. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92. The company has a market capitalization of $46.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.98, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 0.59.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a net margin of 1.89% and a return on equity of 34.71%. The company had revenue of $45.12 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.35 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $1.43 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Investors 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 yield of 2.0%. This is an increase from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. Kroger's payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Barclays assumed coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, July 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 target price on the stock. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, August 2nd. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $82.00 price objective (up previously from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a research note on Friday, June 20th. Melius raised shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $70.53.

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.