Level Four Advisory Services LLC boosted its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR – Free Report) by 6.2% during the second quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 9,293 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 543 shares during the period. Level Four Advisory Services LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $437,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Natixis increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 82.0% during the fourth quarter. Natixis now owns 570,090 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,415,000 after purchasing an additional 256,777 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management bought a new stake in shares of Kroger during the 1st quarter worth about $244,000. MRP Capital Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 33.0% in the 1st quarter. MRP Capital Investments LLC now owns 17,590 shares of the company’s stock worth $868,000 after acquiring an additional 4,365 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its holdings in shares of Kroger by 1.0% in the first quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 63,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,144,000 after acquiring an additional 625 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Ronald Blue Trust Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kroger by 16.6% during the first quarter. Ronald Blue Trust Inc. now owns 5,708 shares of the company’s stock valued at $255,000 after acquiring an additional 813 shares during the period. 78.98% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.
Insider Buying and Selling at Kroger
In other news, SVP Timothy A. Massa sold 23,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.46, for a total transaction of $1,045,580.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 194,956 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,862,699.76. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. In other Kroger news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 6,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, September 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $46.50, for a total transaction of $279,000.00. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 44,090 shares in the company, valued at $2,050,185. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, SVP Timothy A. Massa sold 23,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, September 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $45.46, for a total value of $1,045,580.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 194,956 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,862,699.76. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 33,798 shares of company stock worth $1,542,985 over the last 90 days. 1.38% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
Kroger Price Performance
Kroger (NYSE:KR – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Friday, September 8th. The company reported $0.96 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.91 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $33.85 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $34.12 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.10% and a return on equity of 30.61%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was down 2.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $0.90 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that The Kroger Co. will post 4.51 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Kroger Cuts Dividend
The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, December 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 15th will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, November 14th. This represents a $1.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.54%. Kroger’s payout ratio is 51.79%.
Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades
A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft decreased their price target on Kroger from $54.00 to $50.00 in a research note on Friday, June 16th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on Kroger from $56.00 to $54.00 in a report on Friday, June 16th. HSBC began coverage on shares of Kroger in a report on Friday. They issued a “hold” rating and a $52.00 price target for the company. Bank of America dropped their target price on shares of Kroger from $75.00 to $65.00 in a report on Friday, June 16th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Kroger from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, eight have assigned a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kroger currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $52.31.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on KR
Kroger Company 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.
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