The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Bought by OLD National Bancorp IN

OLD National Bancorp IN lifted its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 3.0% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 183,353 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,344 shares during the period. OLD National Bancorp IN's holdings in Kroger were worth $12,411,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 97,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,043,905.59. This trade represents a 23.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.03, for a total transaction of $72,030.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $754,370.19. This represents a 8.72% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 306,818 shares of company stock valued at $20,994,769 over the last 90 days. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have commented on KR shares. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Roth Capital set a $58.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Thursday, March 6th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $68.06.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE KR opened at $66.11 on Friday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.69 billion, a PE ratio of 17.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $69.11 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $64.82. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $49.04 and a 12-month high of $73.63.

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

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is 34.88%.

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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding KR? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.