Two Sigma Advisers LP Decreases Stock Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Two Sigma Advisers LP lessened its stake in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 55.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 360,800 shares of the company's stock after selling 448,600 shares during the period. Two Sigma Advisers LP's holdings in Kroger were worth $22,063,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Kroger by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 6,164,855 shares of the company's stock worth $353,246,000 after buying an additional 37,222 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC increased its position in shares of Kroger by 28.6% during the fourth quarter. Merit Financial Group LLC now owns 11,986 shares of the company's stock worth $733,000 after acquiring an additional 2,669 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 8.5% in the fourth quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 11,738 shares of the company's stock valued at $718,000 after acquiring an additional 919 shares in the last quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Kroger by 3.9% in the fourth quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 27,031 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,653,000 after purchasing an additional 1,009 shares during the period. Finally, UMB Bank n.a. grew its stake in Kroger by 6.5% during the 4th quarter. UMB Bank n.a. now owns 5,988 shares of the company's stock worth $366,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.03, for a total value of $72,030.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $754,370.19. This trade represents a 8.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 4,492 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.53, for a total transaction of $298,852.76. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 3,480 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $231,524.40. This represents a 56.35% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KR has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Morgan Stanley raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Monday, May 19th. Melius upgraded shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $68.06.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR traded up $0.66 on Monday, hitting $68.61. The company had a trading volume of 5,516,759 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,665,649. The company has a market cap of $45.34 billion, a PE ratio of 18.15, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. The business has a 50 day moving average of $68.86 and a 200 day moving average of $64.27. 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.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

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.