Bayesian Capital Management LP Raises Stock Position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Bayesian Capital Management LP increased its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 37.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 25,718 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 7,018 shares during the period. Bayesian Capital Management LP's holdings in Kroger were worth $1,573,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In other Kroger news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 115,149 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 sale, the senior vice president now owns 139,338 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,486,131.04. This trade represents a 45.25 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.03, for a total transaction of $72,030.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,473 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $754,370.19. This trade represents a 8.72 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock worth $22,867,124. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have commented on KR shares. Melius Research downgraded shares of Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Evercore ISI upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley lifted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 21st. Citigroup increased their target price on Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, March 7th. Finally, Roth Capital set a $58.00 price target on Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $67.06.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KR traded up $0.19 during trading on Friday, reaching $72.00. The company had a trading volume of 4,311,871 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,621,627. The company has a fifty day moving average of $68.31 and a two-hundred day moving average of $63.41. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $49.04 and a 12 month high of $73.63.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.96 billion. Equities research analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's payout ratio is currently 34.88%.

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.