The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) Shares Sold by Meritage Portfolio Management

Meritage Portfolio Management trimmed its position in shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 130,057 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,164 shares during the quarter. Meritage Portfolio Management’s holdings in Kroger were worth $5,945,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of KR. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at about $25,000. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC raised its position in Kroger by 370.1% in the 3rd quarter. VisionPoint Advisory Group LLC now owns 630 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 496 shares in the last quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. raised its position in shares of Kroger by 430.8% during the 3rd quarter. Hazlett Burt & Watson Inc. now owns 637 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 517 shares in the last quarter. ORG Partners LLC raised its holdings in Kroger by 613.0% during the fourth quarter. ORG Partners LLC now owns 820 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,000 after purchasing an additional 705 shares in the last quarter. Finally, First Command Advisory Services Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Kroger during the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. 80.93% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kroger Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:KR traded down $0.39 during trading on Friday, reaching $55.52. 1,855,810 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 4,887,754. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.04, a quick ratio of 0.36 and a current ratio of 0.81. The Kroger Co. has a 12-month low of $42.10 and a 12-month high of $58.34. The firm has a market cap of $40.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.89, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 0.48. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $54.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $48.16.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, March 7th. The company reported $1.34 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.13 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $37.06 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $37.07 billion. Kroger had a return on equity of 31.44% and a net margin of 1.44%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $0.99 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that The Kroger Co. will post 4.43 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.29 per share. This represents a $1.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.09%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 14th. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 39.19%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total transaction of $832,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 77,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,313,681.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In related news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total value 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total value of $224,070.87. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 3,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $214,889.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 49,180 shares of company stock worth $2,750,322 in the last three months. 1.38% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on KR. 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 research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company upgraded shares of Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. BNP Paribas reiterated an “underperform” rating and issued a $48.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, April 8th. Telsey Advisory Group reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Guggenheim raised their target price on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.17.

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.