Unigestion Holding SA Has $4.50 Million Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Unigestion Holding SA grew its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 30.6% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 66,406 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 15,568 shares during the period. Unigestion Holding SA's holdings in Kroger were worth $4,495,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of Kroger stock traded down $0.19 during trading on Thursday, reaching $66.15. The company's stock had a trading volume of 4,651,229 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,726,665. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $69.18 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $64.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.72 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.58. 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 Kroger Co. has a one year low of $49.04 and a one year high of $73.63.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The firm had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.94%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KR has been the topic of several analyst reports. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Melius raised shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. Guggenheim lifted their price objective on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, April 3rd. Finally, Citigroup increased their target price on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. 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 company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Kroger has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of the business'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 transaction of $72,030.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 10,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $754,370.19. The trade was a 8.72% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 directly owns 97,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,043,905.59. The trade was a 23.49% 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. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger 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.