The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by World Investment Advisors

World Investment Advisors reduced its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 75.7% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 6,436 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,092 shares during the period. World Investment Advisors' holdings in Kroger were worth $436,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Kroger by 1.7% during the first quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 12,545 shares of the company's stock worth $850,000 after buying an additional 213 shares in the last quarter. Diversified Trust Co boosted its holdings in Kroger by 3.7% during the first quarter. Diversified Trust Co now owns 6,429 shares of the company's stock worth $435,000 after buying an additional 229 shares in the last quarter. Sovereign Investment Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $351,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $223,000. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in Kroger by 8.8% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 307,790 shares of the company's stock worth $20,834,000 after buying an additional 24,849 shares in the last quarter. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Gabriel Arreaga sold 37,960 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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. The trade was a 33.54% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 244,462 shares of company stock worth $17,649,963. Insiders own 0.44% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on KR. Jefferies Financial Group set a $83.00 price target on shares of Kroger and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $57.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, May 1st. Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $82.00 price objective (up from $73.00) on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, June 20th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $78.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, June 23rd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Kroger presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $70.00.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR traded down $0.23 during trading on Friday, hitting $70.48. 4,192,063 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,901,518. The company has a market cap of $46.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.20, a PEG ratio of 2.25 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 firm's fifty day moving average price is $68.91 and its 200 day moving average price is $66.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 0.95 and a quick ratio of 0.53.

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

Kroger Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.35 per share. This represents a $1.40 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.99%. 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 payout ratio is 38.15%.

About Kroger

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.