The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Shell Asset Management Co.

Shell Asset Management Co. lowered its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR - Free Report) by 59.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 35,357 shares of the company's stock after selling 52,284 shares during the quarter. Shell Asset Management Co.'s holdings in Kroger were worth $2,162,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Millstone Evans Group LLC purchased a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Transce3nd LLC acquired a new position in Kroger in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Finally, Centricity Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth $32,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 80.93% of the company's stock.

Kroger Stock Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $68.79 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 12 month low of $49.04 and a 12 month high of $73.63. The company's fifty day moving average price is $68.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $63.78. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.46 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.20, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.62.

Kroger (NYSE:KR - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The company 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, research analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Stockholders 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 1.86%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger's dividend payout ratio is 34.88%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Christine S. Wheatley sold 30,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.07, for a total value of $2,162,100.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 97,737 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,043,905.59. This trade represents a 23.49% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total value of $86,723.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $806,523.90. This represents a 9.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on KR. Melius Research downgraded Kroger from a "hold" rating to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 1st. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Thursday, March 6th. Evercore ISI raised their target price on shares of Kroger from $73.00 to $74.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Morgan Stanley upped their price target on shares of Kroger from $62.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 21st. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $73.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a report 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 company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $67.06.

Kroger 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.

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