The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Stock Holdings Cut by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lessened its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 2.1% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,998,612 shares of the company's stock after selling 41,896 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned approximately 0.30% of Kroger worth $135,286,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $351,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth $223,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 8.8% in the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 307,790 shares of the company's stock worth $20,834,000 after acquiring an additional 24,849 shares during the last quarter. Coordinated Financial Services Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $282,000. Finally, Mitchell Capital Management Co. purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at $5,870,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have issued reports on the company. Guggenheim boosted their price objective on Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a "hold" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective 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, Citigroup increased their target price on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Nine analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $70.00.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.03, for a total transaction of $72,030.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,473 shares in the company, valued at $754,370.19. This trade represents a 8.72% 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, EVP Yael Cosset sold 71,224 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 139,124 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,224,222.76. This represents a 33.86% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 245,753 shares of company stock valued at $17,688,180. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $71.40 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $49.74 and a one year high of $74.11. The business's 50-day moving average price is $69.15 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $65.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.53. The company has a market capitalization of $47.19 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.28 and a beta of 0.58.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.45 by $0.04. The business had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $45.35 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 30.01% and a net margin of 1.76%. The firm's quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $1.43 EPS. Analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.35 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.96%. This is an increase from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 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.

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