Vident Advisory LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Vident Advisory LLC lessened its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 70.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 21,198 shares of the company's stock after selling 50,856 shares during the quarter. Vident Advisory LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $1,296,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in KR. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. raised its position in shares of Kroger by 0.9% during the 4th 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 increased its stake in Kroger by 2.4% during the fourth quarter. Checchi Capital Advisers LLC now owns 6,704 shares of the company's stock worth $410,000 after acquiring an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its position in Kroger by 2.2% during the fourth 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 during the period. Keybank National Association OH lifted its stake 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 valued at $1,432,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 4,260 shares of the company's stock worth $260,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI increased their price target on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Melius Research raised shares of Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Melius upgraded shares of Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Citigroup raised their price objective on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Roth Capital set a $58.00 target price on Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $68.06.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total value of $2,162,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total transaction of $1,872,355.10. Following 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124 over the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Down 1.2%

Shares of KR traded down $0.81 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $67.78. 6,367,095 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,668,458. The company has a market capitalization of $44.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.93, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. 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 52 week low of $49.04 and a 52 week high of $73.63. The company's 50 day moving average is $68.92 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.34.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.96 billion. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed 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 1.89%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 34.88%.

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.