The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc lessened its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 5.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 428,560 shares of the company’s stock after selling 24,444 shares during the period. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc owned about 0.06% of Kroger worth $26,215,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in Kroger by 16.2% during the fourth quarter. Linden Thomas Advisory Services LLC now owns 42,648 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,608,000 after buying an additional 5,944 shares in the last quarter. Aspiring Ventures LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $233,000. apricus wealth LLC lifted its stake in Kroger by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. apricus wealth LLC now owns 49,395 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,021,000 after purchasing an additional 805 shares during the last quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Kroger by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 14,669 shares of the company’s stock valued at $897,000 after purchasing an additional 1,612 shares during the last quarter. Finally, CX Institutional raised its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. CX Institutional now owns 47,496 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,904,000 after purchasing an additional 833 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Stuart Aitken sold 132,627 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $63.18, for a total value of $8,379,373.86. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 217,523 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,743,103.14. This trade represents a 37.88 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 16,932 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, December 19th. The shares were sold at an average price of $61.44, for a total transaction of $1,040,302.08. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 53,782 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $3,304,366.08. This represents a 23.94 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 195,448 shares of company stock worth $12,143,923 in the last ninety days. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Kroger Stock Performance

KR opened at $58.68 on Friday. The Kroger Co. has a 1-year low of $44.48 and a 1-year high of $63.59. The company has a market capitalization of $42.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.52, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.76 and a beta of 0.48. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $60.17 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $56.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74, a current ratio of 1.54 and a quick ratio of 1.07.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.97 by $0.01. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The business had revenue of $33.63 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.19 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $0.95 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger declared that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the company to reacquire up to 16.9% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have recently commented on KR. BMO Capital Markets lifted their price target on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a report on Thursday, December 12th. UBS Group increased their price target on Kroger from $63.00 to $66.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 12th. Guggenheim started coverage on Kroger in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. They set a “buy” rating and a $68.00 price objective for the company. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, BNP Paribas initiated coverage on shares of Kroger in a research report on Friday, October 18th. They set a “neutral” rating and a $56.00 price target for the company. Seven research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $65.80.

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.