MML Investors Services LLC Has $3.51 Million Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

MML Investors Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 14.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 57,463 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 7,344 shares during the quarter. MML Investors Services LLC's holdings in Kroger were worth $3,514,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $598,390,000. FMR LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 39.1% during the fourth quarter. FMR LLC now owns 7,054,824 shares of the company's stock worth $431,402,000 after acquiring an additional 1,981,259 shares during the period. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter worth about $68,581,000. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of Kroger by 48.0% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 3,359,918 shares of the company's stock worth $205,459,000 after buying an additional 1,090,440 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Kroger by 0.9% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 82,223,697 shares of the company's stock valued at $5,027,979,000 after buying an additional 773,182 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR traded down $0.79 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $71.39. 2,602,175 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 7,009,031. 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 Kroger Co. has a fifty-two week low of $49.04 and a fifty-two week high of $73.63. The company has a market cap of $47.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.89, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.60. The firm's fifty day moving average is $67.31 and its 200 day moving average is $62.75.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. On average, equities analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders 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 dividend yield of 1.79%. Kroger's payout ratio is 34.88%.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other news, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $72.03, for a total value of $72,030.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $754,370.19. This represents a 8.72 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the executive vice president now owns 97,737 shares in the company, valued at $7,043,905.59. This 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 valued at $22,867,124. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms recently weighed in on KR. Guggenheim raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $73.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 3rd. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Melius Research downgraded shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Melius cut shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $58.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Finally, StockNews.com lowered Kroger from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Kroger has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price 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.