Gotham Asset Management LLC Lowers Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Gotham Asset Management LLC decreased its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 144,328 shares of the company's stock after selling 4,420 shares during the period. Gotham Asset Management LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $8,826,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in KR. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

NYSE:KR traded up $1.19 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $68.79. The company's stock had a trading volume of 7,217,478 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,709,841. The business's fifty day moving average is $68.51 and its two-hundred day moving average is $63.69. The stock has a market cap of $45.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.20, 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 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 released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share 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 firm had revenue of $34.31 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $34.96 billion. Analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. Kroger's payout ratio is 34.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on KR. Roth Capital set a $58.00 target price on Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Melius downgraded shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $58.00 price objective for the company. in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Melius Research downgraded shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $67.06.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $68.08, for a total value 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 $9,486,131.04. This represents a 45.25% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total transaction of $2,162,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 97,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $7,043,905.59. This trade represents a 23.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

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.