Vident Advisory LLC Has $1.30 Million Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Vident Advisory LLC cut its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 70.6% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 21,198 shares of the company's stock after selling 50,856 shares during the period. Vident Advisory LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $1,296,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its stake in Kroger by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 18,045 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,103,000 after buying an additional 154 shares in the last quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC lifted its holdings in Kroger by 2.4% in the 4th quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 6,704 shares of the company's stock valued at $410,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,834 shares of the company's stock valued at $479,000 after purchasing an additional 166 shares in the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 23,410 shares of the company's stock worth $1,432,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its holdings in Kroger by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 4,260 shares of the company's stock worth $260,000 after buying an additional 174 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Down 0.3%

NYSE KR traded down $0.18 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $67.65. The company's stock had a trading volume of 5,393,862 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,667,365. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $44.71 billion, a PE ratio of 17.90, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $49.04 and a 1-year high of $73.63. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $68.98 and a 200-day moving average price of $64.36.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. On average, research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.89%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's payout ratio is 34.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KR has been the subject of several analyst reports. 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. Melius raised shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Melius Research upgraded shares of Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Monday, March 3rd. Eight research 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 data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $68.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kroger news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 139,338 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,486,131.04. This trade represents a 45.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total value of $86,723.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 12,090 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $806,523.90. This trade represents a 9.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124. Company insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

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.