Sentry Investment Management LLC Sells 367 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Sentry Investment Management LLC lessened its position in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 9.7% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 3,419 shares of the company’s stock after selling 367 shares during the period. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $156,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new stake in Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at $25,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its position in shares of Kroger by 370.1% in the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the period. KB Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter worth about $28,000. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 430.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 637 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 517 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Resurgent Financial Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter worth about $35,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of KR stock opened at $55.26 on Thursday. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $42.10 and a twelve month high of $58.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $52.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $47.69. The company has a market cap of $39.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.67, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.48.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $37.06 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $37.07 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.44% and a return on equity of 31.44%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.99 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be paid a $0.29 dividend. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. Kroger’s payout ratio is 39.19%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have commented on KR. Guggenheim upped their price objective on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday. Telsey Advisory Group increased their target price on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $62.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, March 28th. BNP Paribas reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their price target for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research note on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $55.17.

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.