Banco Santander S.A. Buys 4,067 Shares of The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Banco Santander S.A. boosted its stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) by 11.7% in the first quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 38,921 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 4,067 shares during the quarter. Banco Santander S.A.’s holdings in Kroger were worth $2,224,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of KR. Hengehold Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kroger by 1.4% in the first quarter. Hengehold Capital Management LLC now owns 13,626 shares of the company’s stock worth $778,000 after acquiring an additional 185 shares during the period. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC raised its holdings in Kroger by 2.8% during the 1st quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 6,922 shares of the company’s stock worth $395,000 after purchasing an additional 190 shares during the last quarter. W Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Kroger by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. W Advisors LLC now owns 32,876 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,878,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the period. Csenge Advisory Group boosted its stake in shares of Kroger by 4.3% in the 1st quarter. Csenge Advisory Group now owns 4,610 shares of the company’s stock valued at $263,000 after purchasing an additional 191 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. increased its position in shares of Kroger by 1.2% during the first quarter. Tocqueville Asset Management L.P. now owns 20,355 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,163,000 after buying an additional 240 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 80.93% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company raised shares of Kroger from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price target for the company from $58.00 to $65.00 in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $62.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research note on Monday, June 17th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Kroger from $60.00 to $58.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, June 21st. BMO Capital Markets upgraded Kroger from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and increased their price target for the stock from $58.00 to $60.00 in a report on Tuesday, June 18th. Finally, BNP Paribas reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $48.00 target price on shares of Kroger in a research report on Monday, April 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, six have assigned a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $57.30.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kroger news, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the vice president now directly owns 3,768 shares in the company, valued at approximately $214,889.04. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 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 stock was sold at an average price of $55.52, for a total value of $832,800.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 77,696 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,313,681.92. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Carin L. Fike sold 3,929 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on 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 owns 3,768 shares in the company, valued at $214,889.04. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 55,796 shares of company stock worth $3,118,767. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Kroger Stock Down 0.5 %

KR stock traded down $0.30 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $54.51. 2,775,112 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,732,533. The company has a quick ratio of 0.45, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.97. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $52.13 and its 200-day moving average price is $51.69. The Kroger Co. has a 52 week low of $42.10 and a 52 week high of $58.34. The company has a market cap of $39.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.60, a P/E/G ratio of 0.85 and a beta of 0.45.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, June 20th. The company reported $1.43 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.33 by $0.10. Kroger had a net margin of 1.43% and a return on equity of 29.89%. The company had revenue of $45.27 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $44.86 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.51 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up .2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that The Kroger Co. will post 4.45 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kroger Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Sunday, September 1st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, August 15th will be issued a $1.28 dividend. This represents a $5.12 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 9.39%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, August 15th. This is a positive change from Kroger’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.29. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 43.69%.

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.