Czech National Bank Has $10.35 Million Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Czech National Bank raised its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 5.9% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 152,882 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 8,565 shares during the quarter. Czech National Bank's holdings in Kroger were worth $10,349,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in KR. Rhumbline Advisers boosted its holdings in Kroger by 3.0% during the first quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 1,386,893 shares of the company's stock worth $93,879,000 after buying an additional 40,144 shares in the last quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 17.2% during the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 9,535 shares of the company's stock worth $645,000 after acquiring an additional 1,400 shares in the last quarter. Meyer Handelman Co. acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 1st quarter worth approximately $4,626,000. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in Kroger by 2.0% in the 1st quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 8,049 shares of the company's stock valued at $545,000 after purchasing an additional 155 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in Kroger by 7,363.9% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 1,706,397 shares of the company's stock worth $115,506,000 after purchasing an additional 1,683,535 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of NYSE:KR traded down $0.37 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $66.71. 3,651,601 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,725,039. The firm's 50 day simple moving average is $69.19 and its 200 day simple moving average is $64.65. The firm has a market cap of $44.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.65, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58. 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.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.92%. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.88%.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other Kroger news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total value of $1,872,355.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 52,861 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,521,599.82. The trade was a 34.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was 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 directly owns 97,737 shares in the company, valued at $7,043,905.59. This represents a 23.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Melius raised Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Guggenheim upped 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. Melius Research raised shares of Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $68.06.

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.