LMR Partners LLP Acquires Shares of 30,306 The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

LMR Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 30,306 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,853,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 0.9% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 82,223,697 shares of the company's stock worth $5,027,979,000 after purchasing an additional 773,182 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Kroger by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 16,436,688 shares of the company's stock worth $1,002,479,000 after acquiring an additional 416,962 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 0.9% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 14,113,596 shares of the company's stock valued at $863,060,000 after purchasing an additional 120,250 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter worth about $598,390,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp grew its position in shares of Kroger by 13.3% during the fourth quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 7,829,401 shares of the company's stock worth $478,768,000 after purchasing an additional 916,230 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the business's 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,523.90. The trade was a 9.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 97,737 shares in the company, valued at $7,043,905.59. The trade was a 23.49% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124 over the last quarter. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Kroger Stock Up 1.8%

Shares of NYSE:KR traded up $1.19 during trading on Friday, reaching $68.79. 7,217,478 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,693,995. The firm has a market cap of $45.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.20, a price-to-earnings-growth 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 quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.55 and a 200 day simple moving average of $63.78.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. Analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.86%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KR has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Evercore ISI upped their price target on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Melius cut Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $58.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley lifted their target price on Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $67.06.

Kroger Company 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.