Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Takes $49.76 Million Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 813,740 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $49,760,000. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH owned approximately 0.11% of Kroger at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of KR. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Transce3nd LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kroger news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total value of $2,162,100.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 97,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,043,905.59. The trade was a 23.49% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was 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 directly 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Up 1.7%

Kroger stock traded up $1.15 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $68.10. The stock had a trading volume of 14,385,857 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,703,552. The company has a market capitalization of $45.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.02, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $69.13 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $64.56. The Kroger Co. has a one year low of $49.04 and a one year high of $73.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion for 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%. On average, analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's payout ratio is 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley raised their price target on Kroger from $65.00 to $71.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Guggenheim raised their price target on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.