The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Fluent Financial LLC

Fluent Financial LLC lessened its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 47.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 42,954 shares of the company's stock after selling 38,728 shares during the quarter. Kroger makes up about 1.3% of Fluent Financial LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 23rd biggest holding. Fluent Financial LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $2,908,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Kroger by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 82,223,697 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,027,979,000 after buying an additional 773,182 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in Kroger by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,436,688 shares of the company's stock worth $1,002,479,000 after acquiring an additional 416,962 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Kroger by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,113,596 shares of the company's stock worth $863,060,000 after acquiring an additional 120,250 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $598,390,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 13.3% in the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,829,401 shares of the company's stock valued at $478,768,000 after purchasing an additional 916,230 shares during the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of NYSE:KR traded down $0.13 during trading on Friday, hitting $66.11. 6,136,978 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,736,251. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $69.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $64.72. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $49.04 and a 12-month high of $73.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.49, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. On average, research 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 announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.94%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts recently issued reports on the company. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Melius Research raised shares of Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Melius raised Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $68.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total transaction of $2,162,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 97,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,043,905.59. This represents a 23.49% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 13,867 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.82, for a total value of $995,927.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 75,218 shares in the company, valued at $5,402,156.76. This trade represents a 15.57% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 306,818 shares of company stock worth $20,994,769 in the last quarter. 0.44% of the stock is owned by 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.