The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Tobam

Tobam lowered its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 47.2% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 29,750 shares of the company's stock after selling 26,543 shares during the quarter. Tobam's holdings in Kroger were worth $2,014,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH boosted its holdings in Kroger by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Fort Washington Investment Advisors Inc. OH now owns 357,378 shares of the company's stock worth $24,191,000 after acquiring an additional 1,964 shares during the period. apricus wealth LLC boosted its holdings in Kroger by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. apricus wealth LLC now owns 51,720 shares of the company's stock worth $3,501,000 after acquiring an additional 2,325 shares during the period. Fifth Third Bancorp boosted its holdings in Kroger by 4.5% in the 1st quarter. Fifth Third Bancorp now owns 71,616 shares of the company's stock worth $4,848,000 after acquiring an additional 3,087 shares during the period. Simon Quick Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Kroger by 31.5% in the 1st quarter. Simon Quick Advisors LLC now owns 5,329 shares of the company's stock worth $361,000 after acquiring an additional 1,277 shares during the period. Finally, Axecap Investments LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 5.9% during the 1st quarter. Axecap Investments LLC now owns 5,186 shares of the company's stock valued at $351,000 after buying an additional 287 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on KR. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Melius upgraded Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Morgan Stanley increased their target price on Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Guggenheim increased their target price on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Melius Research upgraded Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.06.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE:KR traded up $0.46 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $65.52. The stock had a trading volume of 6,507,714 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,787,713. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.30 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.33, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $68.87 and a 200-day simple moving average of $65.04. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $49.04 and a 52 week high of $73.63. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other Kroger news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The shares were 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 of the company's stock, valued at approximately $754,370.19. This trade represents a 8.72% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $69.44, for a total transaction of $2,083,200.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 127,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,870,057.28. The trade was a 19.02% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 160,815 shares of company stock worth $11,101,588 in the last ninety days. 0.44% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About Kroger

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.