Syon Capital LLC Purchases 3,600 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Syon Capital LLC raised its holdings in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 34.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,072 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 3,600 shares during the quarter. Syon Capital LLC’s holdings in Kroger were worth $643,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the business. Norges Bank bought a new stake in Kroger during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $229,863,000. Sanders Capital LLC increased its position in Kroger by 5.0% during the fourth quarter. Sanders Capital LLC now owns 23,786,389 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,087,276,000 after acquiring an additional 1,123,427 shares during the period. Adage Capital Partners GP L.L.C. acquired a new position in Kroger during the 3rd quarter valued at $42,220,000. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc acquired a new stake in Kroger in the 4th quarter worth $39,619,000. Finally, Mackenzie Financial Corp increased its holdings in shares of Kroger by 378.8% during the 4th quarter. Mackenzie Financial Corp now owns 765,445 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,988,000 after purchasing an additional 605,591 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently weighed in on KR. Guggenheim lifted their target price on Kroger from $60.00 to $61.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 19th. StockNews.com lowered Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday. Telsey Advisory Group restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $62.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, April 23rd. BNP Paribas reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 price target on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, April 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of Kroger from $63.00 to $62.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $55.17.

Kroger Price Performance

Shares of NYSE KR traded down $0.14 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $50.38. 4,958,753 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,163,689. The company has a market cap of $36.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.02, a PEG ratio of 1.90 and a beta of 0.43. 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 twelve month low of $42.10 and a twelve month high of $58.34. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $54.11 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $50.51.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total transaction of $832,800.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 77,696 shares in the company, valued at $4,313,681.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, SVP Valerie L. Jabbar sold 15,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total transaction of $832,800.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 77,696 shares in the company, valued at $4,313,681.92. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $57.03, for a total transaction of $224,070.87. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 3,768 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 55,796 shares of company stock valued at $3,118,767 in the last three months. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

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.