Toronto Dominion Bank Acquires 4,911 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Toronto Dominion Bank increased its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 1.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 359,121 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,911 shares during the period. Toronto Dominion Bank's holdings in Kroger were worth $21,960,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE:KR traded down $1.00 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $67.90. 4,923,403 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,672,096. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $49.04 and a 1-year 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. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.87 billion, a PE ratio of 17.96, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $68.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $64.05.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping 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%. Research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's payout ratio is 34.88%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 approximately $3,521,599.82. This trade represents a 34.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total value of $7,839,343.92. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 139,338 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,486,131.04. This trade represents a 45.25% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Roth Capital set a $58.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Melius raised shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Eight research 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.