Inceptionr LLC Buys New Stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR)

Inceptionr LLC bought a new stake in The Kroger Co. (NYSE:KR) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 21,935 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,341,000.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Kroger during the fourth quarter worth about $68,581,000. First Business Financial Services Inc. grew its stake in Kroger by 2.9% during the fourth quarter. First Business Financial Services Inc. now owns 25,668 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,570,000 after buying an additional 733 shares during the last quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in Kroger by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Dana Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 332,057 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,305,000 after buying an additional 8,522 shares in the last quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP grew its holdings in Kroger by 262.0% during the 4th quarter. Aigen Investment Management LP now owns 42,934 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,625,000 after acquiring an additional 31,074 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kroger during the fourth quarter worth approximately $223,000. 80.93% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kroger Trading Down 1.1 %

Shares of NYSE KR opened at $62.52 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $62.16 and its 200-day moving average is $58.82. The stock has a market cap of $45.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.54, a P/E/G ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 0.51. The Kroger Co. has a twelve month low of $49.04 and a twelve month high of $66.26. The company has a quick ratio of 1.07, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.74.

Kroger (NYSE:KR) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, December 5th. The company reported $0.98 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.97 by $0.01. The company had revenue of $33.63 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $34.19 billion. Kroger had a net margin of 1.85% and a return on equity of 27.73%. The business’s quarterly revenue was down 1.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.95 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that The Kroger Co. will post 4.44 EPS for the current year.

Kroger announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, December 11th that allows the company to repurchase $7.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the company to repurchase up to 16.9% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Kroger Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Saturday, March 1st. Investors of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $0.32 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 14th. This represents a $1.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.05%. Kroger’s dividend payout ratio is currently 33.86%.

Insider Activity at Kroger

In other Kroger news, SVP Yael Cosset sold 20,000 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $58.39, for a total value of $1,167,800.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 144,620 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,444,361.80. The trade was a 12.15 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Stuart Aitken sold 132,627 shares of Kroger stock in a transaction on Thursday, December 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $63.18, for a total transaction of $8,379,373.86. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 217,523 shares in the company, valued at $13,743,103.14. The trade was a 37.88 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 195,448 shares of company stock valued at $12,143,923. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KR has been the subject of a number of research reports. StockNews.com lowered shares of Kroger from a “strong-buy” rating to a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Guggenheim raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $68.00 to $71.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, February 7th. Roth Mkm raised their price target on shares of Kroger from $52.00 to $56.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 6th. BMO Capital Markets raised their price objective on shares of Kroger from $60.00 to $63.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $70.00 price objective on shares of Kroger in a research note on Tuesday, February 4th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, ten have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $67.19.

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.