The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Lazard Asset Management LLC

Lazard Asset Management LLC cut its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 9.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 153,835 shares of the company's stock after selling 16,272 shares during the quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $9,406,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Millstone Evans Group LLC bought a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Stock Up 1.7%

KR traded up $1.18 on Tuesday, hitting $70.14. The company had a trading volume of 1,706,673 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,655,652. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $68.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $63.98. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $49.04 and a 12-month high of $73.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a current ratio of 1.54. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The company had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. Analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be paid a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.82%. Kroger's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other Kroger news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total value of $2,162,100.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total value of $1,872,355.10. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 52,861 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $3,521,599.82. This represents a 34.71% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124 over the last quarter. Insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. Guggenheim increased their target price on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 3rd. Melius Research lowered Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Citigroup increased their target price on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have assigned a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $68.06.

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.