Natixis Advisors LLC Increases Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Key Points

• Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in Kroger by 9.3% in Q1, holding approximately 430,658 shares valued at $29.15 million.
• A quarterly dividend increase was announced, with a new payout of $0.35 per share, up from $0.32, effective September 1st.
• Kroger's stock received varied ratings from analysts, with a current average target price of $70.16 and several firms maintaining an "outperform" status.

Natixis Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 9.3% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 430,658 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 36,789 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.07% of Kroger worth $29,152,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Bessemer Group Inc. lifted its position in Kroger by 1.7% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 12,545 shares of the company's stock valued at $850,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the period. Diversified Trust Co raised its stake in Kroger by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,429 shares of the company's stock valued at $435,000 after buying an additional 229 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 8.8% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 307,790 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,834,000 after buying an additional 24,849 shares during the period. IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 4.0% in the 1st quarter. IFP Advisors Inc now owns 8,967 shares of the company's stock worth $607,000 after buying an additional 348 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Golden State Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 67.2% in the first quarter. Golden State Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,336 shares of the company's stock worth $90,000 after acquiring an additional 537 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Clyde R. Moore sold 3,810 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $71.61, for a total transaction of $272,834.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 85,850 shares in the company, valued at $6,147,718.50. This trade represents a 4.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 16,475 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, June 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $73.79, for a total value of $1,215,690.25. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president owned 49,360 shares in the company, valued at $3,642,274.40. This represents a 25.02% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 198,948 shares of company stock worth $14,422,926. 0.44% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Kroger Price Performance

KR traded up $1.32 on Friday, hitting $71.42. 6,887,648 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,199,993. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $69.42 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.42. 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 Kroger Co. has a one year low of $50.69 and a one year high of $74.11. The firm has a market cap of $47.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.46, a P/E/G ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.59.

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on KR shares. Guggenheim increased their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price objective on shares of Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on shares of Kroger from $76.00 to $75.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, June 17th. Finally, Barclays started coverage on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, July 21st. They set an "equal weight" rating and a $75.00 price target on the stock. Ten equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $70.16.

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.