The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Purchased by Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.

Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 8.8% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 1,066,859 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 85,997 shares during the period. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $65,569,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Millstone Evans Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Whipplewood Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the fourth quarter valued at about $27,000. Centricity Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Lee Danner & Bass Inc. purchased a new position in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, SVP Kenneth C. Kimball sold 11,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Friday, March 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $65.37, for a total value of $719,070.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 127,106 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,308,919.22. This trade represents a 7.96 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Brian W. Nichols sold 1,300 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total value of $86,723.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 12,090 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $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 ninety days, insiders have sold 223,244 shares of company stock valued at $15,001,418. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kroger Price Performance

NYSE:KR opened at $66.77 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $49.04 and a 12-month high of $68.51. The firm has a market cap of $48.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.66, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. The company’s 50-day moving average is $64.04 and its two-hundred day moving average is $60.31. The company has a current ratio of 1.54, a quick ratio of 1.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, March 6th. The company reported $1.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. Research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger announced that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to buyback $7.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the company to buy up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, June 1st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.32 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 15th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.92%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 34.88%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on KR shares. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $73.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, March 3rd. Roth Capital set a $58.00 price objective on Kroger in a research report on Thursday, March 6th. Bank of America boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $75.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, December 20th. UBS Group increased their price target on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $61.00 to $65.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. Seven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $66.88.

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.