The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Stock Position Lowered by Financial Counselors Inc.

Financial Counselors Inc. lowered its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 3.9% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 41,936 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,711 shares during the period. Financial Counselors Inc.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $2,564,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of KR. Fisher Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Kroger by 53.4% in the 3rd quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 16,806 shares of the company’s stock worth $963,000 after purchasing an additional 5,853 shares in the last quarter. Private Trust Co. NA grew its holdings in shares of Kroger by 53.1% during the third quarter. Private Trust Co. NA now owns 3,462 shares of the company’s stock valued at $198,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares in the last quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. raised its position in Kroger by 2.7% during the third quarter. D.A. Davidson & CO. now owns 35,211 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,018,000 after buying an additional 942 shares during the period. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new stake in shares of Kroger in the third quarter worth approximately $1,252,000. Finally, Avestar Capital LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 12.8% during the 3rd quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 5,154 shares of the company’s stock valued at $295,000 after buying an additional 586 shares during the period. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Kroger Price Performance

KR stock opened at $66.16 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $47.87 billion, a PE ratio of 17.50, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $63.87 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $60.21. The Kroger Co. has a 1 year low of $49.04 and a 1 year high of $68.51. 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, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.09 by $0.05. Kroger had a return on equity of 27.73% and a net margin of 1.85%. The business had revenue of $34.31 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.96 billion. Equities analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Announces Dividend

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 $0.32 dividend. This represents a $1.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.93%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, May 15th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 34.88%.

Kroger declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, December 11th that permits the company to buyback $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the company to purchase up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on KR shares. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $73.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, March 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Kroger from $71.00 to $72.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, March 7th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Roth Mkm boosted their target price on shares of Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, December 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price on shares of Kroger from $70.00 to $73.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Seven 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $66.88.

Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger

In related news, CFO Todd A. Foley sold 28,105 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $66.62, for a total value of $1,872,355.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 52,861 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,521,599.82. This trade represents a 34.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a 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 on Thursday, March 13th. The stock was sold at an average price of $66.71, for a total transaction of $86,723.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 12,090 shares in the company, valued at $806,523.90. This trade represents a 9.71 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 223,244 shares of company stock worth $15,001,418. Insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

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.