The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Comerica Bank

Comerica Bank decreased its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 14.3% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 119,793 shares of the company's stock after selling 20,004 shares during the quarter. Comerica Bank's holdings in Kroger were worth $7,325,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

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

Kroger Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of NYSE:KR traded down $0.59 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $72.38. The company's stock had a trading volume of 6,002,376 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,612,107. 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 capitalization of $47.84 billion, a PE ratio of 19.15, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62. 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 business has a 50 day moving average price of $67.81 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $63.13.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates 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. As a group, research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.32 per share. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's payout ratio is 34.88%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KR has been the topic of a number of research reports. Melius lowered Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating and set a $58.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Tuesday, April 1st. Morgan Stanley upped 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 raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, March 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on Kroger from $72.00 to $82.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, May 1st. Finally, Melius Research downgraded Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have given a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $67.06.

Insider Activity

In other Kroger news, 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 value of $72,030.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 10,473 shares in the company, valued at approximately $754,370.19. This trade represents a 8.72 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company's stock, valued at $7,043,905.59. This trade represents a 23.49 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 334,923 shares of company stock valued at $22,867,124. 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.