Vise Technologies Inc. Increases Holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Vise Technologies Inc. raised its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 72.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 11,382 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 4,767 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $696,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have recently commented on KR shares. Roth Capital set a $58.00 target price on Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Melius Research raised Kroger from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 20th. Citigroup raised their price target on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. Finally, Melius raised Kroger from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $70.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 20th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $68.06.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR traded up $1.08 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $68.03. The company had a trading volume of 2,272,273 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,666,571. The company has a market capitalization of $44.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.99, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $73.63. The company's 50-day moving average is $69.06 and its 200-day moving average is $64.43. 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 data on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS 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 dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.88%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total value of $86,723.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,523.90. The trade was a 9.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total transaction of $7,839,343.92. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 139,338 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $9,486,131.04. The trade was a 45.25% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124 in the last 90 days. 0.44% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.