Bokf Na Has $3.38 Million Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

BOKF NA lifted its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 9.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 57,229 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 4,850 shares during the period. BOKF NA's holdings in Kroger were worth $3,383,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also made changes to their positions in KR. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Transce3nd LLC purchased a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Trading Up 0.3 %

NYSE:KR traded up $0.19 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $72.00. 4,311,871 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,630,345. The company 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 company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74. The company's 50 day moving average is $68.31 and its two-hundred day moving average is $63.45. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $73.63.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly 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. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. On average, sell-side 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 disclosed 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 of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.78%. Kroger's payout ratio is presently 34.88%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages recently issued reports on KR. Melius Research lowered Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "buy" rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a report on Tuesday, February 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group restated an "outperform" rating and set a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating, ten have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $67.06.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the company'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 directly owns 97,737 shares of the company's stock, valued at $7,043,905.59. This represents a 23.49 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 21st. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $754,370.19. The trade was a 8.72 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124. Company 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.