The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Los Angeles Capital Management LLC

Los Angeles Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 55.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 351,615 shares of the company’s stock after selling 433,376 shares during the period. Los Angeles Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $16,072,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the third quarter worth about $25,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Kroger by 370.1% during the third quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares during the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 430.8% during the third quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 637 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 517 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC grew its position in Kroger by 613.0% in the 4th quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 820 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 705 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. acquired a new position in Kroger in the 3rd quarter valued at $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Trading Down 0.6 %

Shares of KR traded down $0.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $54.78. The company had a trading volume of 4,937,997 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,340,941. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $42.10 and a 1-year high of $58.34. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $54.83 and its 200-day simple moving average is $48.54. The stock has a market cap of $39.53 billion, a PE ratio of 18.51, a P/E/G ratio of 2.57 and a beta of 0.49. The company has a quick ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced 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 analyst estimates of $37.07 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.44% and a return on equity of 31.44%. Kroger’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 earnings per share for the current year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be issued a $0.29 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 14th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.12%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 39.19%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. BNP Paribas restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $48.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Guggenheim increased their price objective on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and increased their price target for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. One investment 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, Kroger presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $55.17.

Insider Transactions at Kroger

In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total transaction of $224,070.87. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total transaction of $224,070.87. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total transaction of $832,800.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 77,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,313,681.92. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 55,796 shares of company stock worth $3,118,767. 1.38% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.