Vontobel Holding Ltd. Has $1.50 Million Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. cut its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 26.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 22,166 shares of the company's stock after selling 7,965 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $1,500,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its holdings 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 worth $1,103,000 after acquiring an additional 154 shares during the period. Rothschild Investment LLC increased its stake in Kroger by 2.0% in the first quarter. Rothschild Investment LLC now owns 8,049 shares of the company's stock valued at $545,000 after acquiring an additional 155 shares during the period. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC increased its stake in Kroger by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 7,834 shares of the company's stock valued at $479,000 after acquiring an additional 166 shares during the period. Keybank National Association OH raised its position in Kroger by 0.7% in the fourth 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, MRP Capital Investments LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 24.1% during the fourth quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 900 shares of the company's stock worth $55,000 after purchasing an additional 175 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Trading Down 1.0%

Shares of KR traded down $0.73 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $69.50. 3,716,237 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,875,624. The business has a fifty day moving average of $69.02 and a 200-day moving average of $65.93. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.93 billion, a PE ratio of 18.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.23 and a beta of 0.59. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $50.69 and a 1-year high of $74.11. The company has a current ratio of 0.95, a quick ratio of 0.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Friday, June 20th. The company reported $1.49 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.45 by $0.04. Kroger had a net margin of 1.76% and a return on equity of 30.01%. The firm had revenue of $45.12 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $45.35 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $1.43 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down .3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Shareholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a $0.35 dividend. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, August 15th. This is an increase from Kroger's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other news, EVP Mary Ellen Adcock sold 34,250 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Friday, June 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $71.16, for a total transaction of $2,437,230.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 184,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at $13,127,098.68. This trade represents a 15.66% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, June 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.44, for a total transaction of $2,749,822.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 75,218 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,448,791.92. This trade represents a 33.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 244,462 shares of company stock valued at $17,649,963. Corporate insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Morgan Stanley set a $76.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Monday, June 23rd. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price objective on Kroger and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $82.00 price target (up from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday, June 20th. Finally, Citigroup upped 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. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $70.00.

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.